


Faded Fantasy - It Takes A Lot To Know A Man

by Phenobarbital



Series: Faded Fantasy [2]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Angst, Cannibalism, Confusing Will, Coping Hannibal, Dark Will, Domestic Issues, Domesticity, Drama, Eventual (but tentative) sensual massage prompt fill, Frustrating moments, Graphic Sexual Content, Hannibal Loves Will, Hannibal is Hannibal, Hannibal is catching a lot of feelings, Humor, Language, M/M, Murder, No pun intended I think, Psychopaths In Love, Sexual Growth, Sexual exploration, Shades of Fluff, The sex is still complicated, Things that go unsaid, Those who slay together stay together, Violence, Will Loves Hannibal, Will figuring himself out the hard way, Will is Hannisexual, awkward moments, canon typical stuff, for a change, it gets fluffy, please read the tags, post wotl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2018-09-24 11:22:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 150,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9722105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phenobarbital/pseuds/Phenobarbital
Summary: Hannibal and Will navigate their sexual boundaries and forts...





	1. It Takes A Lot To Understand...

**Author's Note:**

> \- I do not own Hannibal or any of its characters, nor do I own anything recognizable as Damien's Rice's.  
> \- Welcome to Part 2 of Faded Fantasy, I hope you will continue to enjoy.  
> \- This story was inspired by Damien Rice's music, inspirational to the last, along with the occasional encouragement from [Cinnamaldeide](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinnamaldeide/pseuds/Cinnamaldeide) ( Thanks for being awesome :D )
> 
> \- Not beta-read, apologies for any errors. Please report them to me.  
> \- There are pictures included as a clickable links for certain things within the story.

* * *

* * *

Hannibal was standing in the kitchen at the large island counter, preparing two cups of coffee for himself and Will, stirring a single spoon of sugar into the dark liquid of Will's mug with steady clinks as he kept his gaze fixed downward, staring at the black marble countertop. It was early morning Monday presently, nearing seven AM, and the sunlight coming in through the wide windows cast the large modern space into soft white relief, and as a result, Hannibal found himself able to clearly see every faint speck of overnight dust that had collected on the counter; dust…and a sharp, long strand of beige/black dog hair.

It was quite remarkable really, that although the dog –Will's dog, their dog- had only been in the house for just over twenty four hours, already it was shedding, and in the most inappropriate place of all too. He took in a slow breath through his nose, bringing his free hand up to swipe at the silvery-brown hair of his fringe where it was falling into his eyes as he blinked his gaze to the coffee cups, Will's plain white maxi and his own smaller contemporary designer brand, and ceasing the motion of stirring, he removed the spoon with a single tap to the rim of the mug and then turned around and leaned over to the sink to set it down.

Hannibal would intentionally ignore the hair for the moment, because fussing about it would be pointless since the dog was living there now and would likely shed plenty more in days to come. So, rather, he'd simply be sure to sterilize the kitchen surfaces more rigorously in future when he was going to be using the kitchen, and every time after Will used it to make dog food, especially since the dog's food bowls would be a permanent fixture in there which meant the animal would spend a fair amount of time in the kitchen, in and out, skittering it's claws over the expensive tiling.

Closing his eyes and raising his eyebrows, Hannibal pressed his thumb and forefinger into his eyes, dragging them to pinch the bridge of his nose before he internally shrugged off the mild horror he was experiencing and picked up the two coffee cups to leave the kitchen. He walked through the passage and crossed into the living room, making his way to the open front door which lead out onto the front stone and wood deck of the house which they only ever made use of in the warmer seasons, when the snow was beginning to melt, as it had been doing gradually over the course of the week past.

Hannibal knew that come late spring and into summer, the snow laden landscape surrounding the house would be green with new grass and foliage and the air comfortably warm, and they'd spend more time outside, Will especially, now that he had a dog to take for walks and runs and playtime.

He walked outside into the mildly cold and crisp air, feeling the fresh chill mostly on his face and hands since those were the parts of him that were exposed. Presently he was fully dressed for work in a dark midnight blue three piece suit, worn over a white shirt with a blue herringbone silk tie, a matching pocket square and leather oxfords on his feet. His suits were a lot more understated these days than the ones he'd favored before, as was his general persona in their new life; where he didn't always wear a waistcoat or a tie and didn't slick his hair back, so that now he looked less severe.

And he didn't even lament the loss of his overstated wardrobe from his Baltimore days, because to a large degree, the many layers of expensive wool and cotton and bold patterns that he'd covered himself up with had been a part of his former 'person suit', which he'd long since foregone now that Will was in his life. Yes, he still pretended to be someone else on a daily basis when he was at work…but the veil was thinner, the restraints easily loosened, whenever he was around Will alone, at work or at home, and really, it was all terribly worth it.

Hannibal set the coffee cups down on the untilled wooden deck table beside a folded up gray towel –the purpose of which escaped him- and his shoes crunched over the dusting of snow that had blown in overnight and settled on the deck as he stepped, turning to look out over the open space of their far reaching 'front yard'. Will was some distance away, running through the thin layer of snow after [Francesca](https://s5.postimg.cc/yfqo01uh3/Francesca.jpg), their new mixed breed –but predominantly elkhound- canine, as she bounded ahead of him on her long leash, tail curled and swaying, legs kicking up snow, ears pointed and perked.

Francesca looked quite happy, but Hannibal cared more for the smile on Will's gorgeous face as the younger man tried to keep up with the excited dog. And Hannibal could hear Will call Francesca's name in an encouraging and playful voice, making a soft whistle followed by laughter and then praise when the dog ran back and leapt up on him with a happy bark, Will dropping to his knees in the snow and offering more praises as he pet and ruffled her –long and clingy- fur whilst offering her something to eat from his hand. It was likely the dog biscuit treats that they'd purchased together on Friday afternoon, which Will had been rather liberal with giving her since bringing the dog home, almost as though he couldn't help wanting to spoil her.

Hannibal understood all too well wanting to spoil someone you love though, so he could relate to Will's excessiveness.

In the beginning, after they'd first been on the run, he'd had to curb his own urges when he'd wanted to splurge and buy all manner of items and clothes and gifts for Will, many things that the younger man would not have cared for then and only occasionally allowed even now. Although in the very recent present, Hannibal supposed he could get away with it more than before, considering they were a _couple_ , which gave him a little more wiggle room to buy Will something whenever he felt like it.

Or he hoped so at least, having not had the chance to test that theory yet, and Will was always unpredictable, so Hannibal would not be making any grandiose gestures any time soon. They were, after all, still adjusting to all of the newness of physicality and romance between them. So, all in good time.

Hannibal raised an eyebrow when, after a minute, Will had still not looked to the deck, the younger man once again running around with Francesca, who for the time being until she was trained to Will's standards and was familiar with the terrain, had to remain on a leash lest she get lost and hurt.

Watching him, Hannibal found that he had two options; leave Will's coffee to get cold, or get his attention.

He considered shouting Will's name across the distance, and then had to close his eyes and suppress a shudder of distaste at the thought of doing such a thing, and when he reopened his eyes he sighed, and then –despite being loathe to- Hannibal drew his lips tight, positioned his tongue to his teeth and whistled loud and sharp.

The sound immediately drew the attention of both Will and Francesca, the latter abruptly halting her run with her ears up and her mouth open as she panted, and the former looking -chest achingly- adorable as he did nearly the _exact same thing_ , slowing to a stop, visibly panting even at such a distance beneath his layers of dark clothes, and Hannibal could see with partial clarity the wide set of Will's eyes, the half smile on his pale face and the disarray of his dark hair as he looked toward the deck.

He smiled to himself then, unable to help it as any grievances he'd been harboring about dog hair, drool, chewed up shoes and unsightly food bowls were completely dismissed from his mind, because to see Will like that, bright eyed and carefree, running around in the snow like a kid on Christmas, was just…well, exceptionally gratifying. Hannibal had known for a long time that he was pathetically besotted with Will, but whenever something happened, like right then, to remind him of just how much Will's smile jump-started his heart rate and unleashed unwieldy, riotous butterflies in his stomach, he was always struck momentarily breathless all over again.

He had a few seconds to compose himself before Will came over at least, clearing his throat softly and absently rubbing his fingers over his mouth with a tense exhale as he watched Will pat his leg to get Francesca's attention before gathering up the long excess of her leash as the two of them started jogging back toward the house. It was quite impressive, Hannibal considered, as he watched Will petting the canine's head as they approached, what a natural affinity dogs seemed to have for Will.

Francesca was two years and some months old, she'd been abandoned as a pup and raised at the shelter Will had found her in. The shelter staff had said she was a little stubborn and tended to take a while to warm up to people, but yet, here was Will, having already formed a bond with the dog who'd barely deigned to sniff Hannibal's hand when he'd returned home Saturday afternoon to find her relaxing on his imported white and wood-finished deck furniture.

He might have complained at the sight, had Will not been there too, to greet him with a smile and an air-chilled peck on the lips, before introducing Hannibal to Francesca, or Frankie for short, as Will had suggested.

Hannibal would not call her Frankie. Ever.

"Hey…morning…" Will said as he came up the wide-to-narrow flat gray stone steps that ascended to the porch deck, slightly out of breath and still grinning as Francesca trotted up beside him. Will had been up even before Hannibal that morning, and so this was actually the first time they were seeing each other for the day,

"Good morning, Will." he returned and then gestured to the coffee cups set on the table, still steaming slightly, "I noticed the machine was unused and assumed you hadn't had any yet." he explained, having figured Will must have woken up eager to start the day spending time with Francesca, and of course, to let her out so she could do her dog business _outside_.

He was thankful for the considerateness and also, Hannibal had been relieved to find that nothing had been damaged overnight, the dog seemingly having been quite exhausted, having spent the night fast asleep on the expensive fur rug in the living room after Will had showed her around and fed her.

"Thanks, yeah, I…ah! Hey! Frankie! Wai-…" he huffed out a laugh and pursed his lips as Francesca hurried over and snuffled at Hannibal's pant leg, leaving snow flecks and traces of drool on the expensive cotton before Hannibal could step back. Will leaned over and ruffled the thick fur around her neck as he pulled her away gently, crouching down, "…shit, sorry, she's just in a really good mood." he apologized. And Hannibal was trying very hard not to grimace and give the dog a withering look when Will reached out, keeping one hand on Francesca's collar while he lightly dusted snow off Hannibal's upper thigh with the other, "She's really warming up to us, and she means well." he smiled wider, a line of white teeth beneath fair lips, his nose and ears faintly red, and his blue-green eyes sincerely happy as he looked up. Hannibal completely forgot that he'd wanted to use words to form a sentence, "She was just saying good morning…huh, right girl?" Will looked away then, both hands and all attention back on the dog, "Weren't you, Frankie? Yeah, saying hi to Hannibal, yeah you were, that's right…good girl." he praised her and ruffled her fur affectionately and Francesca nuzzled and licked his hands, wagging her curled tail.

Hannibal resigned himself to his sudden lapse in ability to speak –it was probably better not to say anything anyway-, and he turned away and stepped over to the low table to pick up his coffee, making a mental note to use a damp cloth on his pant leg when he got to work. He sipped the mildly hot liquid, and in his peripheral he was aware of Will using the towel that'd been left on the table to give Francesca a quick wipe down; snout, fur and paws, before allowing her to leap up onto one of the two single deck chairs, where she made herself comfortable on the cushion, and despite not being a particularly small dog, she looked quite comfortable huddled there.

He made another mental note to vacuum the furniture more frequently as well.

"Are you upset?" Will asked, drawing Hannibal's attention back to him, and he lowered his mug from his mouth as Will came to stand beside him, leaning down to pick up his coffee as he said, "I'm sorry about that." the younger man apologizing again before taking a testing sip, and then a gulp of the not too hot liquid.

Hannibal regarded him with a neutral expression, doing a quick self-evaluation and determining that no, he wasn't upset. A little put-out perhaps, due to the accommodations and concessions he was going to be frequently making for the dog, but to have Will happy, as he was right then, would continue to trump everything else.

He swallowed after another sip of his coffee and shook his head once,

"No, I am not, do not concern yourself." he said as sincerely as he could, although he sounded a bit flat.

Will sighed, pausing with his cup near his lips before lowering it again,

"I can train her not to jump up, but, uh…" he rubbed at the side of his neck, his gaze lowering to look at Francesca, "…I can't really stop her from smelling you, or rubbing up against you, you know?" he looked back to Hannibal with raised eyebrows and that fetchingly hopeful look on his face again.

Hannibal inclined his head,

"Of course," he said agreeably, pleased to see a small amount of tension leave Will's shoulders beneath his thick dark sweater, "her need to express affection and curiosity is hardly unreasonable. I assure you, Will, it is not a problem." and he'd stick to that, he would not complain about the dog, because the dog made Will happy.

Will smiled as he took another large drink of his coffee and Hannibal watched afterward as he let the leash handle dangle from his wrist before he raised his hand and –somewhat uncertainly- placed it on Hannibal's upper arm, squeezing lightly.

Hannibal would have been confused by the strange hesitance to touch, considering the depth of intimacy they'd recently achieved together, not just sexually, but emotionally, but when he took in the sight of Will's thin lipped smile and uncertain nod, he knew then what the problem was. He recognized that expression on Will's face, it was look he'd often had in the past when he didn't really believe what Hannibal was saying but wouldn't press the issue.

Any time and every time Will doubted him in any capacity, it was something of a stoking to the hearth of his temper, never failing to test Hannibal's ever increasing patience and control where Will was concerned. The younger man had quite the knack for pushing his buttons, often without even realizing it, unintentionally intentional in many interesting ways…always interesting.

Thinking better of repeating himself, because he hated to do so, Hannibal instead passed his coffee cup from his right hand to his left, raising his right hand then to lightly hold the side of Will's neck, where he stroked his thumb beneath Will's jaw, laced his fingers into the curls at Will's nape and drew Will forward just a bit as he leaned in most of the way, pressing his lips to Will's in a simple but firm kiss.

Will returned the kiss, puckering his lips and leaning into it, and Hannibal let that be it, drawing back a second later and caressing Will's jaw lightly before he lowered his hand again and slipped it into his pants pocket, hoping that the brunet would take him at his word and let the subject drop. Hannibal spared the younger man immediate eye contact, opting to sip his coffee and set his gaze on the white antler décor piece –one of several throughout the house- which had, surprisingly, been Will's choice.

They stood for a minute in silence, the soft hush of the occasional breeze passing over them, and when Will finished his coffee, setting the cup on the table again, and he crouched down beside the chair that Francesca occupied, Hannibal decided to take his leave.

He left the final sip of coffee in his cup and twisted his wrist to adjust his sleeve so that he could check the time on his watch, before he picked up Will's cup so he could take it back to the kitchen with his own, and then he stood with a cup in each hand as he watched the younger man lavish the dog with attention.

"What did you want for dinner tonight?" Hannibal asked evenly.

Will looked up at him with raised eyebrows as Francesca slobbered on his shoulder and neck,

"Oh, uh, don't worry about it, I'll make something…" he commented and then moved to stand up, pointlessly rubbing his hands over the front of his jeans, "…I'm, uh, not going in to work today?" Will said it like a question and Hannibal blinked at him.

Because it was quite plainly obvious that Will would be staying home.

Honestly, as if Hannibal would let him anywhere near his TVR leather interior wearing snow damp, dog hair ridden clothes, let alone expect him to go into work that way.

"I assumed as much." he said with a slight nod, offering Will a small smile before turning to walk away, "Speaking of which, if there's anything you discover you need in the city before I return home later, please let me know."

He heard Will follow him inside as he walked, bringing Francesca along too, the sounds of the front door closing, Will's canvas sneakers and the dog's claws plainly audible where Hannibal's steps were completely silent on the wood and tile flooring.

"Oh, uh, no, don't worry, if I need something I'll just take a drive myself." Will said, because he did have his own car; a metallic blue [Volvo S90](https://s5.postimg.cc/3mtcvc5zb/2017-volvo-s90_100579091_h.jpg), which even though he hardly ever used it anymore, he was terribly fond of, "I have a backseat, so I'll just take Frankie with me," he added, "but uh, is it fine with you?" he asked as they crossed the living room into the short corridor leading into the kitchen, and the question seemed odd, but then Will clarified, "I mean, that I'm not going to work."

Hannibal raised an eyebrow to himself as he walked into the kitchen first, wondering why Will suddenly felt the need to ask. The last thing Hannibal would have expected was that getting the dog would somehow set them back to the early days of tip toeing around one another, Hannibal minding his words and Will's space and Will always asking permission and hesitating.

"Certainly, Will, take all the time you need at home to integrate Francesca into her new home." he set the cups down in the sink and turned to face Will, who was standing in the wide archway and looking at him while he unclipped Francesca's leash from her collar, letting her roam free now that she was safely inside. Hannibal watched her trot over to her unsightly bowls and then slid his gaze back to Will and smiled evenly, "You can return to work whenever you like." _'Or not at all.'_ Hannibal thought to himself.

But he didn't need to say it aloud, because they both knew that he didn't actually need a receptionist and that Will only did the job because he had nothing else to do, and also because it made their cover life in _Skellefteå_ that much more believable to the people they came across in everyday life.

Will nodded, and was absently coiling the leash around his fist as he spoke,

"I plan to start house training her first," he tilted his head, glancing down at the leather leash wrapped in layers over his knuckles, "the basic stuff, before I map out a safe perimeter with her and teach her the outside boundaries. I don't want her getting lost or hurt out there." the brunet's brows briefly pinched together, "She'll be fine though right? Wildlife wise?"

Hannibal watched him fondly; the way he leaned to one side, stance relaxed and his right hip slightly cocked, idly fiddling with the leather stitching of the leash, completely oblivious to the tousled state of his rich brown curls, of the snow clinging to his sweater, the brightness of his eyes, the tempting line of his lips or the jaw defining trim of his beard…of just how stunningly attractive he was in general actually.

"She will be fine, Will," Hannibal reassured in an appropriately gentle tone, a bit rough with the tension of his feelings, but not noticeably, "while the wildlife here is vastly different from Wolf Trap, it is also much scarcer."

"But wolves-…"

"Further south."

"…and, and bears…"

"Also further south." and when Will opened his mouth again, Hannibal headed him off, "No Lynxes or wild boar this far up north either, also, it is very unlikely you might see even so much as a fox." he answered as soothingly as he could, and after a beat Will averted his gaze to the windows with a tense blink and a sigh of defeat. Hannibal smiled at the younger man's palpable worry, and he walked around the counter to stand nearer to him, less than a foot space away, tilting his head to catch Will's daylight bleached eyes, "When I bought this house I researched it for our safety, and dangerous wildlife possibilities was among my many considerations." Will nodded unevenly in acknowledgement and Hannibal raised his eyebrows, and giving in to the recent pattern of being sappy that he'd started, he lowered his voice to a more personal tone, "After all, I would not be comfortable knowing you were out there walking for hours if I didn't believe you were safe."

Hannibal watched as Will swallowed lightly at hearing his sincere words, the younger man maintaining eye contact as his expression softened before he lowered his gaze and a smile curved his lips just so.

Will sighed then and shrugged,

"I know, I…know, I read up about the wildlife here online," he confessed, and Hannibal was unsurprised to hear it, "but being overly cautious isn't always a bad thing." Will defended, meeting Hannibal's eyes again with a slight frown on his face. Hannibal tipped his head,

"No, it isn't, certainly not in this." he agreed easily, knowing it'd make Will feel better about his overprotectiveness, "You worrying about her is understandable, she is fragile, curious and young and you are now entirely responsible for her wellbeing and happiness. She'll trust your voice and your words to guide her, your hands to comfort her and your presence to protect her," Hannibal said softly, tracking his eyes over the younger man's still frowning face, noting that Will looked far from comforted by his words, until Hannibal added, "and she would be absolutely right to do so, as she is in _the_ _most_ capable hands."

Will's frown eased then and he snorted softly, cracking another small smile and bobbing his eyebrows once, apparently amused by Hannibal's attempt at being buttery with his compliments. Hannibal didn't mind that Will found it corny though, because it was true all the same, and he was glad to see that the tension had left Will's shoulders, because he was tired of talking about the dog.

He took a chance on initiating excess contact then and slipped his fingers into Will's free hand, bringing it up to his lips where he pressed a single firm kiss to the smooth, finely veined fair skin on back of it,

"I have a patient coming in at eight, I have to go." he said after drawing away, squeezing Will's hand before letting it go and turning to walk from the kitchen.

He was just through the doorway when Will said two quiet, tense words,

" _Our_ responsibility…" and Hannibal stopped walking and turned around to look at the younger man, his face carefully blank and his hands down at his sides as he tilted his head, wordlessly encouraging Will to clarify, "…if you have to," Will tried not to blink, holding eye contact firmly, his gaze questioning, "you'll protect her too…right?"

And Will didn't need to say anything more, he didn't need to say it for Hannibal to know that having the dog wouldn't be worth it if Will couldn't trust him not to hurt it…

…yet another temper button of Hannibal's that Will always seemed to have his finger hovering over, pressing down on it whenever he found himself questioning whether or not Hannibal had ill intentions to him, or any extension of him.

Hannibal blinked placidly at him, keeping the sneer of irritation he wanted to express down to a subtle twitching of his lips as he calmly regarded Will, the person who he loved so much it sometimes tempted him to put his fist through a wall just to ease the tightness of need and affection clinging to every vital organ in his chest cavity.

Loving Will was perpetual pain interspersed with deep, decadent moments of perfect pleasure.

And that was only fair, deserved even, because Will had suffered for and because of loving him too, and so Hannibal would forgive him anything, every slight, big or small, intentional or not.

"You have my word, Will," he said with sincerity that roughened his tone, "she is mine as much as she is yours, and I will take care of her as such." Hannibal assured, meaning it too, because he would not let harm come to the dog if he could help it, and then he turned and walked away, clenching his jaw and tamping down the lingering snatches of his frustration.

He left the house five minutes later, the image of Will standing in the kitchen with an unreadable expression on his face playing on his mind for the rest of the day.

* * *

Hannibal went through his day on professional autopilot, handling each patient with a long since honed detached perspective. He offered each patient problem specific encouragement and guidance where it was necessary, made appropriate noises and gestures of acknowledgement to their longwinded complaints and stories about their boring lives and issues, maintained eye contact when they looked at him, in order to make them feel like they had his full attention. He supplied tissues to the criers and provided verbal placation to the volatile and wrote prescriptions for the depressed, insomniac and anxious ones and by the time it was 5 PM, Hannibal had locked up the office and was on his way home.

On the long drive home, Hannibal mentally prepared himself to deal with what might be waiting for him when he arrived, knowing that after the way he'd left things that morning, Will would probably not be in the best mood. And from past experience, he expected that either the younger man would be distant and guarded, which Hannibal wasn't quite sure he would be able to settle for after so much progress had been made between them, or Will would be confrontational and they'd have a disagreement, one that they would hopefully resolve quickly.

He was resigned to either outcome though, and he would deal with whichever it was with tact and patience.

He sighed very quietly to himself when he thought about the fact that he'd expected Will getting a dog would bring them closer together, it was supposed to have been symbolic of their continually growing acceptance of one another, of their equality and of his consideration for Will's happiness.

But instead it seemed to have morphed into some twisted allegory for what had happened with Abigail. They wouldn't, either of them, acknowledge that that was what had been the underlying meaning behind the tense moment that morning, because they were careful never to broach the subject of Abigail's death with one another, forgiven but not forgotten and better never mentioned. But all the same, it had been what Hannibal had heard, not in Will's words, but in his distrustful, low tone. And that tone was what set Hannibal's teeth on edge, what made his temper flare and tension knot the muscles in his shoulders and back, because the uneven harsh scrape of it and all that it implied felt like Will was calling him a liar…a liar about the desperate and all-encompassing love he felt.

And it was so complicated and treacherous enough already, having to navigate the way he felt, without Will occasionally challenging it, questioning it, doubting it, mocking it…

Hannibal tightened his hands on the steering wheel as he drove, his knuckles going white and the leather squeaking softly under the force of his grip. He took in a deep breath as his body vibrated with unresolved tension, leaning his head back against the headrest, his eyes low lidded and focused on the dark road that he knew stretched straight for miles, even though he could only see a short stretch of meters in the light of his high beams.

The moon was only a sliver and the sky was an inky blue-black, stars visible but not accounting for much light, but while it was dark, the road leading out to the hillsides was otherwise a clear and straight shot. New snow hadn't fallen that day, and despite the fact that there was the risk of ice or water on the dark tarmac, Hannibal set his foot down heavily on the accelerator and felt the car pull forward as the needle on the speedometer steadily climbed, passing 100 km/p…120, 140, 160, 180...

* * *

Making it home in less than half the time it would usually have taken, Hannibal parked his car inside the brightly lit double garage and killed the engine, sitting for a moment as the automatic door rolled down behind him, and then he sat in silence listening to the engine pop softly as it began to cool down. Hannibal was painfully aware of the fact that he was experiencing a form of anxiety which, like most things to do with Will, was entirely new and unsettling.

He refused to be controlled by nervousness though, and after taking another deep breath, Hannibal exited his car with his usual grace, his composure adequately in place, and after casting a brief glance at Will's car, Hannibal walked to the garage door adjoined to the house and made his way inside.

As Hannibal arrived at the top of the stairs from the garage level and proceeded down the hall, he noted first that the house was quiet, but there was the scent of food in the air, a pleasant blend of rich sauces, herbs, spices and seasoned meat. He didn't know what exactly to make of either of those things, since neither was unusual in anyway but he hadn't been expecting anything of the like to await him upon return. When he reached the end of the hall, which opened into the large [living room](https://s5.postimg.cc/sg2ww0zaf/aaea91040a6a34d121948ea341f7e02f.jpg), Hannibal's eyes immediately fell on Francesca, who was lying near the low burning fireplace, and she raised her head and ears at the sight of him. Hannibal didn't linger, seeing no reason to make her get up from her place just to greet him, and he headed straight through to the kitchen, where upon walking in, his gaze immediately fell on Will.

It would always be a sort of nourishment to see the younger man there, just there, within reach. Hannibal had realized it fairly early on, since his days of incarceration when Will had come to see him after so long, that being able to just look at Will, to know he was real and breathing and one of a kind, made him feel clear headed, impassioned and alight with life and purpose.

Presently, Will was standing at the oven, looking in on whatever he was making as it simmered, and Hannibal, standing silent and still in the doorway, raked his eyes over the brunet from head to toe. Will had obviously showered and changed at some point in the day -judging by the fresh smoothness of his skin, it was probably more recently than early in the day- and he was dressed down in a light gray Henley and blue jeans, his dark curls cursorily combed back and his pale feet bare on the tiles, as Will seemed to prefer most days.

He looked _divine_ to Hannibal, even at his most casual appearance, he was handsome and lean, comfortably masculine but still softly domestic in the kitchen space, wearing his black and white apron as he used a folded up dish towel to push the ceramic dish and grate back into the oven before closing it.

And while he wanted to stare at Will for long minutes at a time, Hannibal never did, because it would undoubtedly make the younger man uncomfortable. So before Will could turn around and see him standing there, casually, as if he'd just stepped in, Hannibal moved forward into the kitchen, dangling his car keys from his hand so they clacked softly and let Will know he was there.

Will turned around immediately to look at him, but Hannibal didn't meet his eyes, affecting his usual detachment in the face of Will's unpredictable moods as he busied himself removing his suit jacket,

"Good evening, Will." he greeted evenly, purposely keeping inflection out of his tone.

Until he knew what Will's temperament was, Hannibal deemed it prudent to keep his own to himself as well.

And perhaps it was an emotional defense mechanism, once again, only realized where Will was concerned, but as long as no one knew he was doing it, Hannibal's shame in the face of it was his own.

After all, why shouldn't he protect his feelings now that he experienced them more naturally? He was, unfortunately, only human and despite his sociopathic predisposition, emotion invested was emotion that could be manipulated and exploited when done by the right person, i.e. Will Graham, in his case.

"You're back earlier than I thought you'd be." was Will's quiet greeting, something that would have grated on Hannibal's nerves regarding politeness were it anyone else, but Will was exempt, had been for a long time.

Hannibal had a momentary urge to mock apologize for encroaching on Will's 'alone time', but when he realized exactly just how juvenile that would be, he paused, a split second subtle action of self-irritation, with his jacket in hand, held at the shoulders and poised to be hung on the back of the high counter chair.

Hannibal grimaced mentally and briefly clenched his jaw, before composing himself again smoothly,

"I drove faster than usual." he responded, even and truthful, as he placed his jacket on the chair back neatly.

He kept his eyes down as he unbuttoned his cuffs, and only when he was rolling his sleeves up, did Hannibal realize that Will was _not_ silently _ignoring_ him, he was silently _staring_ at him. He raised his head and eyes and met the younger man's gaze, noting that Will looked oddly weary, and sounded as much when he said,

"You were speeding…with the amount of ice and sleet on that road."

It wasn't a question, Hannibal could tell that much, but not having been on the receiving end of a scolding tone since he was a young boy, it took him a moment to realize that Will was, in fact, looking at him and had spoken to him with reproach. And when Hannibal could only manage to stare at him, unusually tripped up by the sheer spousal domesticity of such an admonishment, Will obviously saw something in his expression and realized himself what he'd just said and indeed, how…spouse-like it had been.

Will's disapproving –and concerned- frown was hastily eased away then, the younger man raising his eyebrows and clearing his throat as he severed eye contact and turned away, moving to the sink to busy himself with something in the wake of the awkwardness. Hannibal stood still and calm, watching him with quiet consideration, feeling rather off-kilter with both the feeling of guilt that Will's scolding tone had brought about, as well as the warmth it had invoked in his chest. A feeling that Hannibal knew was directly connected to any kind of care, affection and concern Will showed for him.

"I made chops in raspberry sauce, with uh, roasted fingerling potatoes and herbed rice." Will said to break the silence, "I'm just waiting on the meat to be done." he turned off the faucet, turning around and gesturing to the oven as he dried his hands. Hannibal noticed that his voice was edging toward pleasant, which surprised him, but did it mean that Will was trying to ignore the tension, or dismiss it?

"It smells delicious, I expect it will taste it too." Hannibal said sincerely, recognizing it as being a meal that Will had made once before with wonderful success.

Will managed a half smile at the compliment, but it didn't look forced, just hesitantly flattered, and so Hannibal took his cue from Will and tested the water,

"Can I assist you with anything?" he offered as he usually would.

The younger man shook his head, his hair bouncing softly atop of his head and shifting lightly against his temples,

"Uh, no, it's fine, it's all done…" he leaned back against the counter behind him, absently folding the dishtowel in his hands, "...well, almost." he added, glancing at the oven, and Hannibal might have mentioned that Will was perfectly on time, that it was he who had returned home early, but taking into account the awkward moment they'd shared over that detail a moment earlier, he thought better of it.

He did take the liberty of fetching wine from the stocked rack in the large pantry, selecting something that would complement the meal, and then retrieving glasses from the cupboard one he returned to the kitchen. He set the bottle and glasses down on the counter and was about to fetch the corkscrew when Will held it out to him, the younger man coming to stand just beside him, close enough that Will's chest was just shy of pressing against his upper arm.

Hannibal felt the immediate affect of Will's intimate presence, the scent and sight and warmth of him, his heart rate increasing slightly and his stomach feeling empty and light for it. He took the corkscrew, outwardly calm, and opened the wine, sniffing the cork as was habit before setting the bottle and corkscrew down side by side, allowing the wine to breathe as he turned his head to regard Will.

He felt it like a punch to his gut when he found Will looking right at him, expression unguarded and…regretful.

The kitchen was filled with the scents of sweet meat, but that close Hannibal was able to inhale and smell a subtle hint of anxiety on Will, along with alpine shampoo, aftershave and the new addition of dog.

Hannibal swallowed lightly,

"Will?" he said quietly, his mouth working without his explicit permission and his voice not as steady as he would have liked, almost apologetic without reason.

He could try to convince himself that Will had prompted his sorry tone, but the truth was, the moment Will came to stand close to him so willingly, Hannibal didn't want to be bothered with the particulars of who was in the wrong.

Will blinked a few times, swallowing softly before he parted his lips and exhaled quietly, blue-green eyes meeting auburn with a small shake of his head,

"Can we…can we forget about what I said this morning…" it wasn't a question Will needed answered, since he went on, Hannibal watching as his face scrunched briefly into a frown and the younger man's gaze slid to settle on his shoulder, "…I know that…I know you wouldn't," he sighed, "that you…" and then he blinked his eyes back up, his eyebrows rising just slightly, "…I, I'm trying to say that, I…trust you."

Hannibal blinked once, and then again, his mouth opening on a silent inhale as he absorbed those words and the sincerity behind them, looking into Will's unguarded expression of affection and anticipation. Hannibal knew before he had to properly think about it that it was as good as forgotten just by Will asking for it to be so, but he didn't immediately say so, as he was still stunned by the fact that of all the possibilities he'd considered facing upon returning home that night, Will being the one to seek concord after that morning, had seemed least likely.

When Will's eyebrow hiked slightly, it brought Hannibal back from his momentary lapse in reaction, and before Will could say anything else or could mistake his blank face for something bad, or worse, move away, Hannibal turned to face the younger man properly and brought his hands up to set them lightly on Will's upper arms, inclining his head slightly as a sliver of a smile curved his lips,

"Consider it erased from memory." he said quietly and squeezed Will's upper arms firmly.

Will smiled then, slight and close lipped, but entirely real and Hannibal immediately wondered whether Will would be amenable to a kiss right then, so soon after resolving the issue, but he didn't have the chance to attempt it, because the younger man moved first. With the same hesitation from that morning on the deck, Will raised a hand and lightly set it on his shoulder before gripping the fabric lightly. And Hannibal, uncertain of what Will was doing, let his hands fall away when the brunet stepped closer, the younger man's other hand coming up as well…

…and then Will was hugging him, pressed against him front to front, Will's hands first and then his arms sliding easy and slow to encircle Hannibal's neck before he pressed closer and squeezed just so, to seal the embrace.

Automatically, Hannibal's hands came up, one settling on Will's waist and the other splaying in the middle of his back, and then with a deep inhale, his eyes slid closed and he gripped the fabric of Will's shirt tightly. Hannibal pressed his cheek and then his lips into the hair at the side of Will's head as he melted into the hug, feeling Will do likewise. He smelled incredible to Hannibal, he always did when Hannibal was able to take him in with his nose directly contacting skin, as it was right then when he nuzzled the younger man's hair, feeling Will sigh softly against his shoulder, warm breath catching on his shirt, seeping through to his skin.

It felt perfect, that hug so plainly a better option than a kiss.

Will seemed to know better about that, and Hannibal was simultaneously surprised and not, since Will had always been more human, deeply human in fact. So it made sense that he knew what was best…but then, reminding himself not to overthink and over analyze everything, Hannibal considered that perhaps Will had just _wanted_ a hug, wanted to hug him…wanted to be held.

That idea was so much better, appealed to him so much more, and smiling against Will's hair, he let his arms slide around Will's waist and back fully, reaffirming his hold, bringing Will even closer despite not being able to actually fill any more space between their bodies.

Hannibal felt in that moment, that every butterfly raging in his stomach and the haze of lightheadedness he was experiencing was absolutely welcome, and then even more so, when he felt Will grasp tighter to the fabric of his shirt before he pressed a kiss –so light, so tentative, so warm- to the side of Hannibal's neck.

It was **intimate** , certainly, but there was more to it, something both dark and light, like…love, there was love in their embrace. Hannibal had felt it abstractly, having known it existed within Will for himself, but for the first time he swore he could smell it seeping from Will's skin, the scent not sweet but still cloying enough to coat his mouth with the perceived taste of it. And it was heady and decadent and new to his senses in the best possible way; like dark chocolate, amber and something raw, something undeniable, something that burned…like the very purest extract of oxytocin.

It was _exquisite,_ and being able to identify it by scent on Will was rewarding and gratifying in ways Hannibal had yet to know he could experience, the carefully controlled but internally overwhelming sensation of which brought the prickling warmth of tears to his closed eyes, and after a rush of perfect and eternal reverence for Will, Hannibal felt the hush of sweetly, irrevocable catharsis come over his mind, body and soul.

* * *

For the next two weeks or so, they fell into a new routine which accommodated the dog's presence in the house. Will didn't go to work, and as far as Hannibal knew he spent the majority of every day training Francesca from the basics up, starting with house rules and gradually moving on to outdoor rules.

Hannibal would politely enquire after Will's day when he returned home each evening, while they made dinner together or while they ate whatever Will had prepared. He listened with moderate interest to the everyday tales of Will's adventures with Francesca, more enthralled with watching the younger man grin and quietly laugh as he talked and gesticulated mildly, than in what he was actually saying about Francesca's progress in obeying commands, going to the bathroom outside on her own and not jumping up on furniture.

He was, of course, very pleased by Francesca's rapid learning skills, so while he didn't care too much for the play by play of the training, he appreciated knowing that there'd be no dog slobber on the imported furniture or 'accidents' on any of the fur rugs.

On the weekends, things were a little different; Will had sequestered an hour of his time in the afternoon to familiarize Francesca with him, and while Hannibal had dreaded having to stand around outside for an hour interacting with a dog, repeating the commands that Will had taught Francesca until she listened to him well enough so he could reward her with treats and head pats, he recognized the purpose of it and acquiesced without complaint, remaining composed and pleasant throughout the designated time.

Will _had_ asked him first if he'd mind, and he'd done so in that same hesitant way that Hannibal quite desperately wanted to be rid of, and so when he'd agreed to it, he'd done so by _reassuring_ Will it was fine, which had gone a long way to placating the younger man. It was frustrating that Hannibal had to work past all of those tension and uncertainty points in Will again, but he made every necessary effort to do so.

And he was happy enough to do it, but he was wondering how long he would have to wait for it to pass that time.

Hannibal rubbed the back of his fingers lightly over his lips as he considered the way things had been the past two weeks. Presently it was Saturday afternoon and he was sitting out on the deck on the long sofa, with his elbow propped up on the armrest and his other hand cradling his tablet against his crossed thighs. He'd been browsing a rare book website when his thoughts had begun to drift to Will, as they often did, and now he was sitting and staring out at the front yard area of the house, to where Will had yet to return from walking Francesca.

It'd been a quiet morning, Hannibal having woken up just after Will, who'd been getting up early rather religiously lately, and after he'd done his morning exercise routine, freshened up and then dressed for the day he'd made his way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Francesca had already been fed, her bowls a testament to that, and that part of the routine had also become the norm. The kitchen was empty too, not a dish in the sink or a drop of food or water outside the pet bowls, courtesy of Will's hyper-considerate actions.

Hannibal had made a full breakfast, more than enough for two people, and then he'd squashed the small sting of annoyance he felt at having to eat breakfast alone for the second weekend in a row, while Will was out walking Francesca. Will had only arrived back at the house a half hour after Hannibal had eaten and was settled in his study, working on an anatomy sketch, and after little more than popping his head inside for a quick greeting, the younger man had disappeared again, probably to the kitchen to eat.

Hannibal had only seen him once more that morning, and that had been when he'd come out of the study just before noon to find Will tying his boots while Francesca panted and whined excitedly, the pair getting ready to go out, _again_. He'd stood in the arch of the foyer, watching Will as he stood up and reached for his canvas jacket, and when the brunet had informed him that they'd be back in an hour, Hannibal had nodded once evenly.

Will had left a minute later with Francesca on her leash and his hair being tousled by the afternoon cool wind, and as he'd watched them go, Hannibal had been struck with a peculiar irritation, the likes of which he took a moment of deep breathing to realize was associated with a jealous sort of longing.

And to be jealous of a dog was just…it was so _low_.

Hannibal had spent the hour that followed drinking wine and trying to occupy his mind with something other than thoughts of Will and all the time they _weren't_ spending together since Francesca had come into their lives. And he'd been fairly successful in distracting himself, always having had the ability to compartmentalize with excellent preciseness, but with the time steadily visible on his table as he browsed, he'd become more and more aware that Will had not yet returned.

It was fifteen minutes overdue now, and Hannibal had been watching the landscape for the younger man and his dog with most of his attention, occasionally glancing back to his tablet, but otherwise no longer able to focus.

When fifteen minutes became twenty-five, Hannibal set his tablet aside, reached for his wine glass on the table and then settled back in his seat, and after an absent elegant sniff, he sipped from the rich red liquid.

Hannibal considered then, the fact that he was _missing_ Will, and while it was not the first time he'd done so, the last time, when he'd been locked up in the BSHCI, he'd technically been missing the _idea_ of Will, the ghost of him, the alter of him. It had been a mental connection that he'd lamented the lack of back then, whereas now, he was missing Will emotionally as well as physically _on top_ of mentally, and it was exhausting and terribly distracting.

He acknowledged though, that it wasn't jealousy per say that he was experiencing, it was more a case of finding himself set outside of Will's focus, not even ignored really, just absently overlooked. And that feeling gave root and rise to more unpleasant thoughts, Hannibal wondering if now that Francesca was around, Will would always have less time to spend with him. But he knew he was being somewhat….melodramatic, because he knew that in time, probably soon, Francesca would be able to roam inside and outside unsupervised and wouldn't require being monitored all the time, and then Will's time and attention would free up again.

Hannibal knew that he just had to be reasonable…and patient. Always patient.

Even though it was difficult and frustrating, and even though Will had been so distracted with having a pet that they'd shared so few kisses since the morning before they'd disagreed two weeks ago. And even just a hug, Hannibal thought of it now, even just something so small and yet breath stopping, they hadn't shared again since the one Will had initiated in the kitchen.

And yes, Hannibal was fully aware that he _could_ initiate something, anything, but with Will so focused elsewhere, he really loathed the idea of getting a brush off or some half-arsed attention, be it talking about anything besides Francesca, sharing a hug, kiss or having sex, if they _ever_ did any of those things again…

Realizing he was being melodramatic again, Hannibal sighed deeply, something he usually only did for affect when around people, and very rarely genuinely except for when he was completely alone and no one could witness such a weak display of weariness. He sipped his wine again, glancing out at the vast stretch of land, patchy with brown and green ground wherever the snow had melted the most, and when he still saw no sign of Will, he let his gaze fall on the stag antler display piece on the table, the sight of which brought a fond smirk to his face.

He remembered when he'd been shopping online for furniture a few years ago, after they'd first moved to Sweden, and Will had been looking over his shoulder every now and then when he'd walk by, at one point spotting the décor piece displayed on the website and then admitting to finding it charming and nostalgic. And while at the time, Hannibal had assumed it was because Will recalled he'd had a few pieces of antler, horn and stag themed décor around his home and in his office back in Baltimore, when the pieces had been delivered and he'd seen how Will had smiled bittersweet as he unboxed each of them, Hannibal had become aware that there was some other reason for the younger man's fondness for the antlers. Will had never told him what it was though, and Hannibal hadn't ever, and would never ask. His instinct told him that it had to do with him, and that was more than enough stroking for his ego.

He trailed his gaze up to the outdoor fireplace, where above the mantel of which was another smaller white antler piece. And there were a few others inside the house; a large set in the living room fireplace when it wasn't being used, a set mounted in the dining room, and a final set in the study.

Hannibal would have preferred them in black or brown, but a new life meant a new look, and they were tasteful pieces overall, but more importantly, they were choices made by Will, one of the younger man's personal touches to the home they _shared_ , and so he couldn't find fault with them.

He could however, find fault with Will saying he'd be back in an hour and then being so very late, especially since he'd left without eating lunch and had been exhausting himself lately with his new dog related time schedule.

Despite being irritable though, Hannibal knew he could not _scold_ Will for not eating or for being out later than he'd said he would for a walk, not any more than Will had had any right to scold him for speeding two weeks earlier.

Just the memory of Will's uncomfortable expression when he'd realized what he'd said that night, and all of the spousal-like implications it carried, made Hannibal smile, lips curving just an inch from the rim of his wine glass. He took a sip and finished the swallow of wine, and then with the smile lingering on his face, Hannibal picked up his tablet with his free hand, stood up, and headed inside.

Will would return when he was good and ready, as was his choice and right.

* * *

It wasn't until four days later that Hannibal found his patience, his waiting for a change to happen in Will's new routine, came to its end.

And it was only because when he walked into the house Wednesday evening after another boring day of seeing patients, the sight that greeted him when he stepped into the living room was that of a shirtless, jean clad, barefoot, curls damp, facial hair neatly trimmed after a week of excess growth, freshly showered Will.

The younger man was kneeling back on his legs near the lowly burning fireplace, sitting across from Francesca and seemingly going through a string of tricks and commands with her. Will acknowledged him when he walked in, a simple but not unaffectionate greeting of 'hey, Hannibal' before he turned back to Francesca and held out his right hand, palm up, prompting the dog to do likewise when he said 'paw'.

Catching himself staring at the expanse of Will's naked back, Hannibal refocused his attention on watching Will go through a few tricks with Francesca, the younger man raising his hand above Francesca's head and prompting her to touch his fingers with the end of her wet snout before he prompted her to sit, and then to lie down, and finally to stand up again before he petted her neck, tossed up a small treat for her to catch and gave her pleasant praise.

When he started all over again, hand above her head to begin a new set of tricks, Hannibal walked across the room to the bar and reached for the opened bottle of whiskey set there and two tumblers,

"Would you like a drink, Will?" he offered flatly as he uncapped the bottle and poured a single shot for himself.

Will tossed another treat to Francesca before looking up and at him from across the room,

"Uh…" he glanced back to the dog, clearly considering staying where he was, but then he nodded and started to stand up, "…yeah, yeah, thanks."

Hannibal stopped himself from sighing, and then from staring as Will walked across the room to stand beside him at the wet bar. He poured Will's drink and then recapped the bottle, subtly inhaling the air now that Will was close enough to fragrance it with his freshly showered skin. It was a nice change to come home to him smelling fresh and clean, since every night prior Will had only showered just before bed and so would smell vaguely like himself and a lot like dog most of the time.

Hannibal doubted he'd ever get used to the smell of dog and dog food and dog shampoo products, but he could live with it, would live with it. That was not to say though that he wouldn't prefer that Will didn't _always_ smell like dog. Hannibal did of course recall that Will had always smelled like dog in the past, years ago in their former lives, but there again, the difference was that their relationship hadn't been physical, so Hannibal had only had brief experiences with it, so it took a little more getting used to than he had expected.

He took a sip of his whiskey as Will did the same, watching as the younger man's naturally pinked lips touched the rim of the glass, watched his adam's apple bob beneath the newly clean shaven skin of his neck, and Hannibal's gaze finally settled on a drop of shower water clinging to a line of tendon in Will's neck. Will was looking away, watching Francesca chew on a toy of hers as if he just couldn't get enough of having a pet again.

Perpetually annoyed and doing his very best to manage it, Hannibal looked down into his whiskey and closed his eyes briefly as he inhaled the scent of well-aged liquor, wetting the inner seam of his lips before he spoke,

"She's coming along very well, Will." he said sincerely of the fact, but his tone otherwise void of inflection.

Will's head snapped back to him, all smiles as he nodded,

"Yeah she is, she's really smart…amazingly receptive to commands and encouragement." he idly fiddled with his glass as he spoke, glancing from Hannibal to Francesca, "She'll obviously need the occasional refresher course, but she pretty much has the basics down."

Hannibal nodded when Will looked at him, and he finished his whiskey when Will was looking at Francesca. When he set his glass down gently, Will turned to face him,

"I didn't make dinner though." he said apropos of nothing, "Francesca went crazy in the melting snow, got muddy as hell and I had to give her a bath when we got back." he explained, which cleared up for Hannibal why the chemically sharp scent of dog shampoo was so strong, "I finished up pretty late because of that," he sighed, "only got out of the shower about ten minutes before you got home." he finished, rubbing lightly at the side of his face and over the scar on his forehead before he finished the sip of whiskey in his glass and set it down.

Hannibal watched as Will's hand slid down to the side of his neck, massaging there, rubbing the drop of water into his skin, wonderfully unselfconscious of his half naked state and low waist cut jeans. It was in that moment that Hannibal's patience gave and he stepped closer to Will, not bothering to keep himself in check that time as he placed one hand on Will's naked waist and the other at the side of his neck just over the brunet's own hand.

He pressed an open mouth kiss to Will's lips as he slid his hand from the brunet's waist to his lower back and drew him closer, reveling in the feeling of smooth, bare skin under his hand after so long of not touching the younger man. Will's reaction was predictable in that he tensed up slightly in surprise, but when Hannibal tilted his head and angled Will's own as he opened his mouth again to deepen the kiss, Will's lips parted beneath his easily and he reciprocated without hesitation, much to Hannibal's delight –and relief.

The taste of Will's mouth was intoxicating, strong whiskey with the underlying mint from toothpaste, and Hannibal licked into the younger man's mouth with an intensity that was hungry and wet and just slightly rough. Will's kiss was less vigorous and urgent but he matched Hannibal on every other tongue stroke, parting his mouth wide when needed and keeping it lax when Hannibal drew back to suck on his lips, breathing through his nose, accommodating every shift and angle that Hannibal leaned in for.

Hannibal felt it like heat and electricity when Will's hands settled on him, one on his waist and the other on the back of his shoulder, both clutching lightly at the material of his suit jacket as their mouths slid together. It was the first time they'd kissed properly in weeks and Hannibal was sorely tempted to cross a few lines, to lift Will off the ground and sit him up on the bar; but, no, that would be too emasculating. Perhaps he could push Will backwards, shove him down onto the couch; would he get away with manhandling Will a second time, though? He was just considering bending Will over the nearest surface –which would be a _huge_ 'no' on the demeaning sexual behavior front- when the sound of two dull thuds hitting the floor interrupted them.

Will drew back abruptly, their mouths separating with a soft, wet suck as Hannibal clung to the brunet's mouth and then leaned forward –pathetically- following his lips. But Will had turned his head and was looking across the living room, "Ah, shit…" he said with an appropriately dazed tone and half lidded eyes, "…sorry, she still gets a bit too excited." Will apologized.

Hannibal closed his eyes again and took a few deep breaths as he nuzzled against the side of Will's face and neck, inhaling the scent of his clean skin while legitimately not caring about whatever had fallen, especially since nothing had broken and the dog hadn't made a sound to indicate it was hurt. But the moment was lost and Hannibal was simply too frustrated right then to drag Will into another kiss when it'd taken so much time and mental stress for him to be worked up enough to do it that first time.

So, he licked the taste of Will from his lips, vaguely aware of Will's hands still clenched into his jacket, as he stepped back to extricate himself,

"I'll start dinner." he said a little more gruffly than he would have liked, "See to Francesca." and while it wasn't meant to, Hannibal knew his tone had been somewhat curt when he added that last part.

But he didn't let it stop him from moving away, picking up the two used tumblers in one hand with a quick slide and soft clink before walking away toward the kitchen, thinking that Carpaccio with a side dish of black salt asparagus sounded like a good idea, and the rawer the Carpaccio, the better.

* * *

Hannibal was unsurprised when not long after dinner, the dishes done, house tidied and Francesca seen to for the evening, out of sight and likely asleep in the spare bedroom where her dog bed was, Will announced that he was going to bed.

It was just before ten PM, which was roundabout the time Will had been turning in ever since they'd acquired Francesca. Wake early, sleep early, on and on, every day. They almost never ate breakfast together anymore and there'd been a few days that Hannibal hadn't even seen Will in the mornings before he left for the city.

But while it was upsetting, Hannibal refused to show it, and he also refused to make himself like a fool by letting Will see how bothered he was by the lack of attention. As it was the kiss he'd shared with Will earlier had been just a tad too desperate and Will had been quieter than usual at dinner, and still quiet when they'd been cleaning the kitchen afterward.

Hannibal took a sip of his wine before setting the glass on the piano top and returning to playing, closing his eyes as he lightly stroked the piano keys with deft fingers, playing an old composition, something he'd written years ago, in his earlier days of living in Baltimore. He remembered playing it at one of his dinner parties, remembered how everyone applauded him, remembered how they'd loved his food, had found him charming and mysterious and everyone had wanted him to be a part of private clubs and high society parties, invite only events and to join them on their yachts.

Hannibal remembered the fanfare of socializing and how good he was at it, the smiles and saying the right thing, walking the line of being confident but not arrogant, just the right amount of everything to keep everyone charmed and just slightly envious. He remembered how he used to be flirted with and propositioned by men and women, how few of them he'd actually taken to his bed, how many more of them he'd wanted so badly to _kill_ , and how a few of them, in careful moderation…he had.

How every year he'd receive expensive gifts, and at dinner parties, expensive wines which he almost never used and would always leave to collect dust in his well-stocked wine cellar…

…then there'd been that one mid-range priced bottle of wine that Will had bought him, for that time when he'd declined the invitation to dinner.

Will's absence at the dinner party hadn't particularly bothered him, having someone as unique and fascinating as the younger man have to put up with and be misunderstood by the vapid, haughty lot of people who generally attended his dinner parties would have been displeasing in the end, not just for Will, but for him as well. But Will's absence had been felt when it was all over and everyone had left, all of their benign conversation and clueless fawning over his food had been left feeling hollow as if sucked out of his space by a vacuum the moment he'd shut the door on the last departing guest.

He'd thought of Will then, that night so many years ago, and how his dinner party hadn't pleased him as it usually would have in the past, because nothing, even then, had quite compared to how quickly Will had monopolized his interest.

Hannibal abruptly stopped playing, mid-key stroke, a hush settling over the living room save for the soft crackling of the fire, and his gaze settled on his half empty glass of wine.

He took a deep breath, licking and pursing his lips as he recalled that he'd opened the bottle of wine Will had bought for him that night after the party. It hadn't tasted very good, and it'd been not only hundreds, but in some cases, a few thousand dollars cheaper than the other wines he'd been gifted, on that night alone mind you, let alone in the past, but Hannibal had _savored_ it. He'd sat in front of the fireplace in his lounge, staring into the licking flames, jacket and tie removed, top buttons of his shirt undone, hair no longer slicked into place, and he'd sipped on the wine Will had purchased for him; likely only purchased out of the perception of necessary politeness and as an apology for turning down the dinner invitation.

There'd been no particular thought or kindness behind the gifted wine, it'd just been some standard gesture that just about anyone would have made in the same situation, and Hannibal had _known_ that, yet he'd found the simple fact that Will had made the effort to get it for him, had been the detail that pleased him. It was a rather pathetic memory, one that Hannibal would take to his grave; having sat alone in his grand house, in pieces of his bespoke suit, with his fine designer furniture as well as other expensive shiny and macabre things all around him, feeling broody and empty… _lonely_ , while drinking a bottle of $250 dollar wine as if it were deeply satiating, just because it'd been a gift from a man who wore creased flannel and Old Spice and slept on a bed in his lounge surrounded by formerly stray dogs, a man who'd meant –and still did- more to him than any person ever had.

Well, aside from Mischa, but even then, Will meant something to him on an entirely different level than his baby sister ever had. It was not the same.

Hannibal was once again struck with the realization that Will had gotten under his skin –that of his person suit and his actual flesh- far earlier on than he'd acknowledged at the time. And yes, perhaps he'd been the one in control, he'd been the one moving the pieces across a game board no one else could see. But while he'd thought that Will had been a piece on it as well, he'd eventually caught on, after Matthew Brown and later with the deception regarding Freddy's death, that Will was in fact a player sitting across from him, in control of unpredictable pieces and moves.

In retrospect, completely irresistible.

Hannibal lowered his gaze to the piano keys as a smile settled on his lips, he never failed to feel a thrill of intrigue and a swell of affection when considering Will's unprecedented existence in his life. He traced his fingers over the keys lightly then, deciding that Will was probably done showering and was in bed, so he closed the piano lid with a soft thunk and resigned himself to an early night.

* * *

It took Hannibal ten minutes to make sure everything was locked up and switched off before he headed to the dark bedroom, only it wasn't dark, since Will was sitting up on his side of the bed and reading. Hannibal paused in the doorway, hand clenched on the handle as Will looked up from his book through the lenses of his glasses and their eyes locked, but only briefly before Hannibal stepped inside and closed the door behind him, walking across the bedroom toward the en-suite and slipping inside.

He hadn't expected Will to be awake and had gotten used to moving around the bedroom quietly whenever he was in the room while the younger man slept, but since Will was still up, Hannibal went about his bathroom routine quicker since he didn't have to be quiet.

He was done showering in fifteen minutes and crossed the bathroom to the double basins to brush his teeth. But when he was done he didn't immediately leave the bathroom, instead he took a moment to consider his reflection in the large mirror, naked from his towel draped waist up. Hannibal was not generally self-conscious, not of his nudity or of his age or his scars, but the years he'd spent in the BSHCI had taken something of a toll on him physically.

He'd maintained his fitness to the best of his ability while he'd been incarcerated, but his weight and nutrition had suffered somewhat in that small glass cage he'd been kept in. So while he was presently at the best that he physically could be -fit and lean with properly functional musculature after so many years being free again- Hannibal could see that he was grayer in his hair; chest, face and head, and under the harsh white bathroom light, his few facial wrinkles, predominantly around his eyes, seemed so much more outstanding.

But then, perhaps he was just tired. Emotions tended to tax him far more than any physical activity usually did.

So yes, generally he was not self-conscious, but it was difficult not to questioningly appraise himself when he had Will in his life, as a partner in every way. Will who would probably look ridiculously young without that fine beard that he kept so fastidiously, Will who was almost hairless everywhere else on his body, all smooth skin and seemly planes of muscle, Will who was distractingly good looking, even if he often seemed totally oblivious to the fact.

Hannibal raised a hand and lightly rubbed his fingers over the silvery growth of his stubble, considering shaving right then instead of in the morning as he usually did. But then, when he caught himself thinking shaving made him look less _aged,_ he mentally gagged in disgust at his own weakness, shutting his eyes and cocking his tensed jaw in frustration. It was starting to feel like he was losing his mind with the things he'd been thinking lately, thinking things that would usually never even so much as cross his mind, especially in the last two weeks with Will being so distracted, and with his distant behavior making him more unpredictable than usual.

So, unwilling to waste another moment developing some sickening self-esteem issue, Hannibal walked out of the bathroom without a second glance at the mirror, clicking the light switch off on his way out when he noticed that Will's side lamp was still on. But he didn't look at Will, because seeing him looking adorable with towel dried curls, spectacles on his nose, comfortably bundled against the headboard, would serve no purpose but to make him _want_.

He crossed the bedroom to the built-in exterior wardrobe, which was set beside the walk-in closet, opening the door to access the drawers inside where he and Will separately kept their underwear, sleepwear and socks. And he had just picked up a pair of his black boxer briefs when Will said his name, quietly and evenly, to get his attention.

Hannibal turned around with a slow blink, towel knotted low on his waist and underwear held loosely in his fist and he raised a fine eyebrow, his gaze settling on Will as he now had no choice but to look at the younger man.

And then he blinked again and slowly, his bare feet sliding on smooth wood, he turned to properly face Will…who was sitting up in bed and looking at him with a purse lipped half-smile, no longer wearing his glasses and with the duvet covers pushed down to his ankles, his long legs drawn up so that his knees were bent slightly as he leaned forward with his hands on the mattress either side of him.

"Hm." was all Hannibal could manage just then, because the way Will was looking at him was not just a simple gaze of standard attention, it was uncertain and somewhat _coy_ …and just slightly expectant,

"…uh…maybe don't…" Will glanced from his face to his towel, "…don't get dres-sed, uh…" he cleared his throat when his voice broke on the last word, his tone quiet and tight with nerves as he averted his gaze, clearly feeling awkward about what he'd said, about what he was _suggesting_ , and in a roundabout way, **asking** for.

Hannibal was momentarily floored –shock and arousal coursing through him abruptly- at the reality of Will being the one to prompt sex.

But he didn't stand gaping at Will long enough to look like an idiot, because he had to maintain his self-respect, and after dropping his underwear back into the drawer, unfolded –and he didn't care-, Hannibal approached the bed with even, slow steps, not unlike the way a predator approached a skittish deer,

"Were you waiting up for me?" he asked as evenly as he could, voice husky but at least steady as he kept his eyes on Will only, Will always.

He only realized too late that prompting Will to talk sexually was probably not going to yield any results.

But before he could follow his question up with a remark that would take the responsibility of responding away from Will, the younger man reached his hands back and pulled his shirt up and off his head…undressing himself…


	2. It takes a lot to give...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Second chapter is here! Sorry for the delay, my only excuse is a lack of free time ):  
> \- Not beta-read, apologies for any errors. Please report them to me.  
> \- This story was inspired by Damien Rice's music, inspirational to the last. But for this chapter Snow Patrol's 'A Lightning Strike' was on repeat.  
> \- I hope everyone enjoys!

* * *

* * *

…Hannibal was rushed with another volt of arousal, stiffening his cock in earnest at the sight, because even though Will hadn't pulled his shirt off in any way that would be considered sexually provocative by the usual foreplay standards, for Hannibal, it was more than enough to make his balls ache.

The brunet was smiling a little more after he pulled it off, his dark curls naturally mussed and eyes clear and wide as he shrugged the shirt off his arms and tossed it to the bottom of the bed, Hannibal stopping on his side of the bed just when Will looked up at him and answered,

"Yeah…uh, you kind of rushed into the bathroom before I could say anything though." he explained softly, raising his eyebrow in a way that was decidedly cheeky. Hannibal didn't even bother to scold himself for being a moody idiot earlier, seeing no point to the self-admonishment right then, when Will was literally waiting for him in their bed, looking gorgeous and unintentionally sexy and up that close, Hannibal could smell his arousal in the air.

His voluntary desire, sweet and spicy to Hannibal's senses.

"I apologize, I didn't want to disturb you." he responded absently as he unknotted the towel on his waist and let it fall to the floor before getting onto the bed, knees first; the idea of his sudden nudity bothering Will not a concern for him, not in that moment. As it was, all Hannibal could think right then was that he wanted his mouth on Will's skin _everywhere_ , so he crawled over to Will's side of the bed on all fours, with two lithe movements, and with that single-minded intention, the second he was near enough, he ducked his head down and close and sucked a quick kiss to the brunet's parted, smiling mouth, before drawing back and pressing his face into the crook of the younger man's neck and inhaling deeply.

Will had inhaled shortly through his nose when Hannibal kissed him, but he exhaled a long, almost _relaxed_ breath, from his sweet mouth as Hannibal kissed his neck, tilting his head to the side to accommodate Hannibal as he continued to mouth, kiss and breathe against the smooth skin of his neck, from beneath Will's ear, to under his jaw and further down to his clavicle. And after the first few kisses, Will slowly lowered himself until he was lying on his back, with his head on his pillow, Hannibal following, moving to hover above him then, sliding one of his legs between Will's as he kissed his way languidly over Will's chest, sucking softly at the warm skin.

When he covered one of Will's nipples with his mouth, worrying the nub with his tongue before sucking on it gently, the younger man made a quiet, breathy noise and the dip of his stomach quivered with the breath he let out. Hannibal, eyes half-lidded, breathing deep and low, dragged his open mouth down then, tongue trailing the curve down and the fine hair on Will's abdomen into the dip, teasing the younger man's navel with a slow lick as he balanced with one hand on the mattress, while using his other to caress Will's chest, pressing his thumb against and then brushing it over the same spit wet, hardened nipple.

Will continued to make his quiet breathy noises as Hannibal went on to taste the skin of his stomach, of his sides, of his hip; teeth grazing, lips kissing, tongue wetting, breath tickling, and he groaned low and gruff when he felt the underwear covered jut of Will's half hard cock grazing his clavicle and pressing into the hollow of his throat, his own cock throbbing with arousal just knowing Will continued to be turned on by his touch.

No longer a question or concern about whether he could or should touch and kiss, because Will _wanted_ now, he _desired_ and it was _glorious_.

With the taste of creamy, expensive soap, the faintest hint of clean sweat, Will's natural musk and increasing arousal now saturating his senses, clinging to his taste buds, addicting as ever, Hannibal felt the urge like a physical tug in his gut to suck Will's cock and taste the very root of his masculinity, and he felt it with a carnal _hunger_.

He didn't ask for permission that time, not with words or eye contact, as he balanced back on his knees, sat up and hooked his fingers into Will's boxers, pulling the elastic over the younger man's thickening cock and then sliding the shorts down, further thrilled and gratified by Will raising his hips and maneuvering his legs to accommodate Hannibal undressing him.

And the atmosphere around and between them was different than it had been the last two times they'd engaged in sex, it felt hot and intense and passionate with a suddenness that surprised Hannibal, but it also felt balanced and natural, lacking the desperation Hannibal had previously loathed within himself…as if it were something new but also the same, only this time, it was just right.

After he'd slid Will's boxers down his thighs and off his legs, Hannibal dropped forward and returned to kissing and mouthing at Will's skin with more vigor, quickly turning his attention to the V-line of Will's abdomen, trailing the tip of his nose downward until he was inhaling the scent of Will's sex directly from the source, his nose brushing through the full thatch of pubic hair at the base of Will's cock.

Will breathed –less shakily than before- as his legs shifted restlessly, one partially trapped beneath Hannibal's weight, his knee brushing Hannibal's sternum, and the other to the side, his inner thigh pressed lightly to Hannibal's upper arm.

Senses feasting on everything that was Will, with his eyes closed and feeling a kind of greed that Hannibal was unfamiliar with, he opened his mouth, hot and wet, and licked a stripe up the underside of Will's cock, from base to tip, -eliciting a punched out' 'ah' sound from Will-, and when he reached the lightly leaking head, Hannibal closed his lips around it and sucked Will's full length down and in so quickly and completely that he nearly gagged.

The feeling of his throat clenching up and his mouth stretched with Will's fully hardened cock - heavy, thick, flushed hot with blood and by no means small- sent a wave of desire and heat through Hannibal so scintillating that it made his own cock bead with fresh pre-come as his balls and thighs strained with sexual tension. Hannibal also felt possessiveness swell in his chest as he inhaled the scent of Will in deeply through his nose, tasting musk and pre-come, raw and sharp, on Will's sex, feeling the healthy pumping of his blood in the veins lining Will's cock…all of it making him salivate, wetting his mouth perfectly as he closed his eyes and began bobbing his head.

In reaction, Will's hips jerked up off the bed, his back arching just so, muscles clenching up and his inner thigh tensing against Hannibal's arm as the younger man made a noise of restrained pleasure. Hannibal fellated Will without teasing right from the get go, sucking hard as he moved up and down, keeping it tight and wet and without a hint of his teeth, enjoying every second of Will's trembling, breath hitching and the pleasured noises that he elicited from the younger man's supine form.

And Will was doing well at keeping his noises quiet until Hannibal deep throated him and held it, making Will's hips jerk again –testing Hannibal's gag reflex- as he breathed out,

" **Ah** … _christ_ …" on a half gasp, his body and voice tense and strained from sensation and his scent rife with sex, heat, arousal and shock, the last aroma of which Hannibal could only assume was again caused by Will being amazed at how good it felt, of how much he was enjoying being sexually pleasured by another man, let alone Hannibal Lecter of all people; the man who had caused him so much pain and now brought him so much pleasure.

Hannibal found himself wondering if Will's former wife had ever drawn reactions like that from the brunet, and with an unusual and strong simmering of jealousy, Hannibal drew up, only to go all the way down and suck up again, but that time with a wet, tight suction that ended with a lewd pop before Hannibal moved lower, breathing heavily as he mouthed at Will's balls with lavish, wet attention, feeling drunk on Will's taste and scent.

He expected – and was pleased by- the groaned curse that slipped from Will's mouth, but what he didn't expect was Will's hand pressing at his shoulder in the next second, the younger man exhaling the words _wait_ and _stop_.

And while Hannibal was much less insecure about Will rejecting him these days, he wasn't so sure of himself that he didn't feel a coil of anxiousness settle in his stomach as he pulled away and raised his head to look up at Will, balancing on his hands either side of Will's narrow hips as he panted softly and licked the taste of the younger man's skin and pre-come from his reddened lips.

Will was a stunning sight, always and without exception, to Hannibal, and right that moment was no different; the younger man splayed naked on the bed, head tilted back into the pillows, neck exposed as his Adam's apple bobbed with a slow, thick swallow, sweat beginning to gather finely over his chest and stomach, between his thighs, the latter moisture of which Hannibal felt against his skin…just beautiful, so beautiful.

Hannibal didn't inquire as to why Will asked him to stop, thinking – and hoping- that perhaps Will just needed a brief reprieve, needed to catch his breath, gather his bearings, and so Hannibal decided to satisfy his desire to touch Will's naked skin in a different way, while simultaneously hoping to ease some of Will's tension, by massaging the younger man.

He settled back on his haunches then, caressing the calf of Will's bent up leg before moving his hand down to start the massage. He slid his long, agile hand over the smooth, low arch of Will's foot where it was flat against the mattress, pressing the pads of his fingers into the skin as he slid them around Will's ankle, feeling the texture of slightly rough leg hair there when he began to lightly rub circles into the skin, sinew and tender, sensitive muscle.

Will stilled at the touch, his breath hitching and leg tensing, but when Hannibal massaged and caressed, Will relaxed and allowed it, accommodating the further maneuvering of his limbs when Hannibal used his other hand to bring the brunet's other leg up too. Permitted, Hannibal lowered his eyes to watch his hands in turns as he slid them further up from Will's ankles, continuing the massaging motion as he settled his palms face up and flush against the firm muscle of Will's calves. And then when he massaged the muscles deeper, he heard Will's breathing slip from an inhale through his nose into a broken hum emitted from his pursed lips.

If Will didn't like the action of being massaged under those circumstances, he didn't immediately show it or say anything, so Hannibal continued, acquainting himself with the intimate feeling of Will's bone and muscle. He slid his hands further up, until he was pressing his thumbs over the unyielding bone of Will's knees and his fingers into the soft flesh just behind. And it was at that point that Will reacted with a soft huff of breath –ticklish?- as he drew his legs up further, bent more at the knees so that Hannibal's fingers were trapped there.

Hannibal stopped pressing and rubbing and looked up to find Will pushing himself up onto his elbows, an awkward barely formed smile on his lips; his hair tousled and face red with blush, although whether it was from arousal or ever present self-consciousness where his nudity was concerned, Hannibal was uncertain. He didn't smell anxious though, and his erection hadn't flagged, still completely hard and faintly wet with spit from Hannibal's mouth where it lay heavy and full against Will's lower abdomen, beading pre-come even then.

Hannibal licked his lips when he saw it.

Will swallowed dryly, lips parting slightly as he watched Hannibal watching him.

Hannibal met Will's eyes, gaze heated and hungry.

Will blinked rapidly as his blush deepened.

Holding eye contact, Hannibal slipped his hands from where they were, sliding them further up over the tops of Will's thighs, massaging the firm but yielding muscle there, and he dropped his gaze only when he gave into the temptation to kiss Will, looking down as he leaned over, dipping his head and somewhat roughly pushing Will's legs apart before sucking a kiss to Will's left inner thigh.

There was brief resistance in the muscle beneath his mouth, but then - Hannibal found it curious- Will's legs fell open wider, and at the same time Will shifted, pressing the heels of his feet into the mattress as if seeking leverage. Parted lips and the tip of his tongue still against the skin of Will's inner thigh, Hannibal looked up to see what Will was doing, and his breath stuck in his chest, his cock throbbing with a heavy bounce where it hung between his legs, at the sight of Will leaning over, pulling the nightstand drawer open and…retrieving the lube and a condom from within.

That meant…Will **wanted** …penetrative sex?

Somehow, such a thing hadn't occurred to Hannibal. He'd subconsciously assumed that if Will was going to be bold enough to initiate sex of any kind in the first place –as he had that evening-, especially after weeks of not having had any, it was not likely to be with a particular interest in anal sex. Quick relief was what Hannibal had assumed was likely; having already decided he'd give Will head, bring the younger man off with his mouth, and then he'd resigned himself to masturbating right after to the sight of the brunet undone beneath him.

He hadn't even dared consider that Will might masturbate him, let alone want anal sex, since to date, Will had made no moves to directly touch his cock, not even when it was still clothed.

But yet, here he was, watching as Will –somewhat awkwardly- placed the tube of lube and condom package onto the bed beside them…and then when he met Hannibal's eyes, he swallowed tensely and looked like he didn't know what to say or do next.

This was where the further progression, the responsibility, fell to Hannibal, because Will had apparently become bold enough to want sex and to let Hannibal know indirectly, but not quite confident enough yet to verbalize or direct it himself. And that was okay, more than okay…Hannibal felt extremely fortunate to have even just the little of himself that Will gave whenever he gave it.

A little was enough, he'd long since realized.

He wasn't about to ask anything inquiring, like 'are you sure?', and he also wasn't about to say anything daft, such as 'we don't have to'. No, Hannibal would never turn down the opportunity to be inside Will, especially not when he hadn't even been the one to say how badly he wanted to.

Will wanted it, and that was monumental. Not to mention the moment was fragile enough that any hesitation on his part may come across as rejection to Will, which would be unacceptable.

So, wordlessly, not rushing but also not about to skip the foreplay –absolutely not-, Hannibal reattached his mouth to Will's thigh as he continued to massage the muscle, moving further upward, pressing kisses wide and puckered, and licks in turns, to each of Will's inner thighs. Gradually moving higher, sliding hands and mouth up and up, settling on Will's hips with his hands, and on Will's cock with his mouth, more kisses, firm massaging, caressing, up higher to Will's flanks with his hands, stomach, sternum, nipples, with his mouth…arms, shoulders, collar bone…neck and throat, jaw, cheeks…mouth…

Long minutes of kissing and sucking, massaging, caressing, found him settled to the side and leaning above Will, who was once again lying down as Hannibal now kissed his mouth thoroughly, the younger man not trembling so much as brimming with feelings and sensation, the light quivering of which Hannibal felt under his right hand which continued its questing over Will's torso and occasionally lower, between his open legs, to stroke, fondle, to keep Will hard…wanting, needing.

Will's kisses were addictive though, and Hannibal got lost in it for a good while as he leaned on an elbow beside the brunet's head, so deeply appreciating and enjoying the slide and suck and twist of Will's tongue against his own, the taste of him, the heat, the wetness clinging to his lips, the corners of his mouth and even his chin when the kisses turned more heated, wider, sloppier.

Hannibal's senses only returned to him when he slid his fingers through the gathered stickiness on Will's stomach, and after another fleeting stroke to the brunet's cock, he found further down that Will's balls were drawn up tightly. Slowing his kissing to a more sensual pace, Will doing likewise, he then took note of the younger man's pliant and lean body beneath his own; completely void of tension, all of it massaged and stroked out of him, his legs spread with relaxed abandon, his deep, relaxed panting against and into Hannibal's mouth, the thick, heady and cloying scent of testosterone and sex sweat…

…made Hannibal realize that Will was not far away from orgasm.

Hannibal drew back from the kiss then, panting himself, eyes opening slowly as he looked down into Will's flushed face and wondered just how long they'd been that way, how much time had passed? Hannibal was reminded of how disorienting it was to get lost, to lose track, a feeling he'd never experienced before Will Graham had come into his life.

Instead of feeling irritable with himself –as he might have done not too long ago-, Hannibal felt himself smiling down at the sight of Will looking up at him with half-lidded, dazed eyes and red swollen lips, the younger man's sweat damp, tousled curls clinging in dark ringlets and pieces to his forehead and ears.

How could he be upset for losing himself in Will when the younger man was just as lost in him.

His hand had stilled where it was, resting gently over Will's balls, and Hannibal maintained eye contact as he slid his fingers lower, pressing over Will's perineum –which made Will avert his gaze, his legs drawing together slightly as his breath caught- and Hannibal slid his middle and index finger lower still, between the firm cheeks of Will's ass to rub lightly over the sparse hair and creased, sweat damp pucker of the younger man's hole.

Feeling Will's body react, his anus tensing, a subtle swell out followed by a soft clench as Will's cock twitched with a fresh pulse of blood and arousal against his stomach, Hannibal pressed his own hips forward, trapping his cock against Will's hip as he dipped his head and stole a wet, tongue filled kiss from the brunet's mouth.

He felt a little uncoordinated in that moment; less in control, more virile, more wanton…experiencing a rush of hormones, a rush of feelings, sexual and primal, that he hadn't been aware of before he'd been allowed to have what he really, truly wanted. Unlike every sex partner Hannibal had had before, where sex had been 90% agenda, 5% desire and 5% pleasure, Will was the closest, if not the one, he'd come to feel 100% pleasure and desire for, entirely without agenda.

And Will was in it with him, his left hand grasping Hannibal's hair, his fingers clenching into the damp strands, the younger man kissing back like he really meant it, like he needed it, craved it. And Hannibal couldn't stop himself from catching Will's bottom lip between his teeth as he drew back, gently biting, before releasing and licking a wet stripe over the brunet's mouth, the words ' _I could fuck you for days_ ' leaving his throat unbidden in a low, rough growl spoken right against the younger man's parted mouth.

He'd just broken another rule with those words; no dirty talk, but he'd spoken in Lithuanian and knew Will hadn't understood. But feeling Will's grip on his hair clench tightly and hearing the low moan that came forth from the younger man's throat as he sucked a tentative, breath shaken kiss against the side of Hannibal's mouth, made Hannibal wonder for just a moment, whether he had.

Or did he just like the sound of it?

Hannibal was tempted to ask, but then Will spoke in a hot, quiet rasp against his lips, telling him,

"I think I'll come soon…" as if it were just a ' _by the way, you should hurry the hell up_ ' notice, and immediately nothing else mattered.

Embarrassingly, Hannibal found himself –hard and untouched as he was- pushed closer to his own end, and he rather hurriedly grasped around for the lube that Will had placed on the bed. When he found it, after glancing down briefly, he popped the cap, and thinking loudly -within the humid, hazy space of his acutely focused mind- that he wanted to see Will come hard and quick, Hannibal threw caution, about not potentially emasculating Will, to the wind.

He squeezed lube out in a generous amount onto Will's stomach, making the younger man gasp at the sudden coolness, before frowning deeply as he looked down at his stomach in confusion. Hannibal distracted him from questioning it though, tonguing at Will's ear and biting at his lobe as he dropped the closed tube behind him and then gathered the lube up from Will's stomach onto his fingers, spreading it with an audible and slick squelch.

He bypassed Will's cock completely when he slid his hand down between the younger man's open legs, and the easy glide of his slick middle finger into Will's hole had the brunet pursing his lips and leaning his head back just so as Hannibal kissed at his neck distractingly. As he'd anticipated, Will was wonderfully tight around his finger, the walls of his silken, hot rectum clenching sweetly as Will breathed deeply and leaned his head a little further back, giving Hannibal ample access to his neck and shoulder.

Hannibal couldn't help smirking against Will's skin at how pliant the younger man was right then, and his smirk turned to a slow smile as he began sliding his finger in and out of Will, strokes slow and long, making the brunet's breath stutter. But Will's initial embarrassment and surprise at the feeling of abrupt penetration faded quickly, and he rasped out the beginning of Hannibal's name in a questioning tone, but wanting Will to focus on how good it felt to _let go_ , Hannibal slid his finger in and up and pressed at Will's prostate just so, in a slow series of delicate circles.

Predictably, Will's body tensed and his back arched, legs falling absently wider as the rest of Hannibal's name turned to a low, grunted half groan, half moan. Will was clearly experiencing a rush of _toogoodtoomuch_ feelings, the brunet tugging sorely – and divinely- at the handful of Hannibal's hair he still had in his grasp.

So sensitive. So lovely.

Will's hole was so tight it was almost sucking around his finger, and Hannibal –despite his usual refinement- rutted a few times against the younger man's thigh, wishing it was his cock buried inside of Will.

And it would be…but not right then, not just yet…first…

He sucked a mark, a bruise that would be starkly noticeable come morning, onto Will's neck as he pressed at the younger man's prostate again. Will grunted out a curse then, releasing Hannibal's hair to grasp at the nape of his neck instead, with trembling hot fingers and a damp palm. And Will didn't say _no_ , he didn't say _stop_ , he simply breathed in huffs from his nose, his jaw clenching slightly between restless sounds slipping from his mouth as Hannibal fingered him, all of those reactions more than enough for Hannibal to keep it up. He stroked his finger a few more times, waiting between kisses and light rutting against Will's warm skin, for a certain amount of laxness to settle within Will's passage.

And the moment he felt it, Hannibal expertly withdrew one finger, just to slip it back inside accompanied by a second. Will's hips jerked, lowering his head to exhale a soft moan against the bridge of Hannibal's nose…and then there was a moment where everything slowed, Hannibal's eyes sliding closed as he eased his fingers in to the yielding clench of Will's hole, down to his last knuckles, feeling Will stretch around him, his body gradually adjusting, Hannibal breathing hotly against Will's cheek as the younger man tried to take in slower breaths, his reddened lips clinging to Hannibal's sweat damp brow.

There was so much body heat between them by that point and they were both sweating, the air around them saturated with their mingled sexual scents, and Hannibal let himself get lost in it again, gradually beginning to increase the pace of his fingering as he trailed his mouth to Will's to kiss him properly.

When he had his tongue in Will's mouth, lapping at the younger man's own, he pressed his index and middle finger firmly over Will's prostate, and was far from displeased when in surprise, Will dug blunt nails sharply into the back of his neck and nearly bit his tongue, the brunet's entire body tightening up, skin damp, muscles taut and hot as he choked out a whine.

Hannibal drew back from Will's pleasure slackened mouth with a wet suck to the corner of his lips, and he looked down at Will, watching the younger man reverently with lust black, heated eyes as he begun to finger Will again, now stimulating his prostate steadily, also using his thumb to rub at the base of Will's balls and the skin of his perineum as he fucked his fingers in and out of the brunet quick and deep.

Will couldn't help moaning then, couldn't help the inner clutch of his slick passage, and he couldn't help quietly dry sobbing at the overwhelming and pleasurable sensations assaulting his body. And it seemed, that after a minute of the sweet torture, he couldn't help himself when he dipped his head and hid his face against the side of Hannibal's neck, panting open-mouthed as he slid his hand down from Hannibal's nape to grasp his shoulder, drawing his legs further up and digging his heels into the mattress before he started to move his hips in a hesitant rolling, thrusting motion, down onto Hannibal's fingers.

And while it wasn't done with confidence or abandon, the tentative – yet deeply involved- action still surprised and incited Hannibal, making him salivate, making him rut with more enthusiasm against Will and the bunching of the bed covers between them…making him want to lose all control.

Hannibal knew Will was right there on the edge of orgasm again, and his own cock ached for more friction, for release; their harsh breathing, Will's intense moans and the soft but obscene squelch of his fingers moving inside Will filling the space of their bedroom, only adding to Hannibal's arousal and impatience. Impatience that reached its end when on his next precise inward stroke, Will pressed his knees together with a harsh exhaled moan, trapping Hannibal's forearm, his buried fingers, between trembling thighs and clenching velvet heat, Will's hard cock leaking several beads of pre-ejaculate onto his lube sticky abdomen, the younger man barely managing to whisper Hannibal's name against his neck.

Everything in the atmosphere around them stilled for Hannibal at the sound of his name, and if not for the rush of Will's breath and the rapid beating of his own heart in his chest, he would have believed the moment a frozen image in his memory palace. But it was real, a fact which never failed to stun him these days, and his eyes clenched tightly as a flood of needy emotions he would once have berated himself for having, but now embraced completely, passed over him. He breathed out a quiet rasp of Will's name in response once the feelings settled, before pressing a lip sticking kiss to the brunet's forehead as he slowed his fingering to a gentle stop, making Will's breath stutter against his neck, his knees ease apart, the brunet's chest still rising and falling quickly.

Waiting a beat, Hannibal opened his eyes, and after drawing his fingers almost out, he slowly added a third and pressed in again, stretching Will's loosened hole just a bit more. Will made a noise, somewhere between surprise and confusion, and he raised his head, pressing his forehead to Hannibal's cheek as his hand fell from Hannibal's shoulder to wrap a loose, damp grasp around his wrist, putting faint pressure on the working tendons and muscles there as Hannibal slowly opened him up around three fingers.

"Relax…" Hannibal breathed out calmly, his breath ghosting over Will's bearded cheek, "…relax for me, Will." he encouraged softly, listening as Will's open-mouthed breathing became quieter whistles of air from his nose, feeling as the younger man's grip tightened around his wrist.

Hannibal wasn't certain of why Will was trying to stop him, but he thought it might be because he'd gone several degrees off course, having turned necessary preparation into extended foreplay; something Will would not have been expecting. Or perhaps it was because the many rules Hannibal had bypassed were starting to catch up. Not wanting to take a chance on whatever it was –to risk experiencing the rejection of Will shoving him off- Hannibal pressed in and up and worked at Will's prostate again, making the younger man tense up again. Will groaned out a curse right against Hannibal's jaw, his grip loosening briefly only to tighten again, leaving white finger lines on Hannibal's wrist while Will's other hand clenched into a white knuckled fist between them.

And Hannibal knew he had to stop pushing the younger man when he felt Will's rectum spasm around his fingers restrictively, Will's breathing hitching and becoming somewhat erratic, notes of discomfort seeping into his beautiful, heated scents. Too much. It was becoming too much. Honestly though, Hannibal hadn't even realized he'd been pushing, as such was his natural inclination, but when he did realize it, he immediately desisted, knowing –and guilty- that he'd tested Will's boundaries excessively.

Angry with himself for his own nature –truly a first for him- Hannibal sought to make it right. He shifted then, gently slipping his fingers from inside Will before he moved from beside Will to atop him; endlessly relieved that Will moved with him, not against or away from him. And with more coordination than he would have believed he had at that point, Hannibal felt out the condom on the bed as he settled himself between Will's parted legs. Once he had it in hand, he ripped the package open with his teeth and extracted the contraceptive, spitting and flicking the pieces of the wrapper aside less than decorously in his haste.

Will was breathing deeply and his brow was drawn into a light frown, but he still hadn't made any objections, in fact, he was settled beneath Hannibal seemingly loose limbed, legs spread either side of Hannibal's waist, partially bent up and accommodatingly open. An apology on his tongue, so difficult to verbalize, Hannibal leaned down and kissed Will's mouth breathily and a little off the mark, desperate to covey the intention without words…and he sighed deeply in relief when Will returned the kiss, the brunet's lips parting so their tongues could meet slowly.

With his own anxiousness eased somewhat, Hannibal maintained the sensual kiss as best he could as he balanced on his left forearm beside Will's shoulder, and reached between their bodies with his right hand to roll the condom down over his sex. They were still kissing, wet and slow, by the time he had it rolled on, and Hannibal caressingly pressed his right hand into the remaining sticky, warmed lube on Will's stomach, gathering most of it but smearing a bit into Will's soft skin. And they were still kissing when Hannibal slicked up the already slippery condom with it, adjusting the latex over the length of his straining cock as Will's hands found their curious and tentative way to settle on Hannibal's mid-back with a slide of damp palms on damp skin.

It was only once Hannibal lined himself up and pressed the head of his cock into Will's loose, yielding opening, that the kiss ended as Will's mouth went slack, the brunet exhaling tight, shaken breaths into Hannibal's mouth as his eyes screwed shut, his fingers dug into flesh and his brow drew together upwards. But the sound Will made as he was penetrated was not one of pain, and the tremble that passed over him was not born of discomfort or concern; it was just their bodies coming together amidst all the associated good sensations of touch and desire…

…and in that way, it was incredible. It was sex. It _felt_ like sex as it should feel, should be.

There were more elements of honest sexual desire and interaction present between them right then than there'd been previously. Will's emotions were heightened, as were Hannibal's, but all of the _correct_ emotions were at play, and in a more visceral way. Not in the careful, uncertain way they had been before, but now…now it was in the honest, heated, lustfully reverent way.

Will wanted him and he wanted Will, wanted to fuck him deep and without hesitation, like a real lover would.

Sliding in was intense, but not too slow since Will was well prepped, and once Hannibal was all the way in and Will's passage was tightly sucking and stretched wide around his cock, there was a beat of stationary adjustment during which Will's eyes fluttered open briefly, his pupil-eclipsed gaze meeting Hannibal's for a second before Will's eyes slid closed again. And in his gaze Hannibal saw arousal certainly, but also clarity; Will was completely aware, completely present in that moment.

Fighting the urge to _thrust_ , Hannibal dipped his head, almost absently nosing at Will's ear as he panted softly against the younger man's jaw, reveling in the feeling of once again being taken and accepted into Will's body. And despite being subconsciously concerned –having glimpsed that dark gaze- that he'd gone too far and that there'd be repercussions when it was over, Hannibal didn't allow it to interfere in their coupling.

He lowered himself just so, settling atop the younger man a little more flush, to be that little bit closer, hearing Will's breath catch, feeling their chests, stomachs and Will's weeping erection sticking and pressing and sliding between their bodies, feeling Will's hands flex against his back as Hannibal shook with restraint. And only after a further few long seconds of heat, sweat and mingled breathing, did Hannibal properly move.

He made the slightest roll of his hips at first, drawing his length barely out before pushing it deeper in again, and Will reacted with an unsteady and genuine moan, his thighs and grasping hands tensing, the brunet's blunt nails pinching lightly into his skin. Hannibal experienced a delectable quiver down his spine then, at hearing the superb sound of Will's vocalized, sincere pleasure. His eyes slid closed involuntarily at the sound, as it reverberated through his mind palace with glorious acoustics. And he was still again, savoring the moment as well as the indescribable feeling of Will's rectum tight, hot and slick around his sex…when he felt the press of Will's nose, warm and dotted with sweat, nudge against his cheek and then his own nose.

Breathing heavily through his open mouth, Hannibal opened his eyes halfway and his next inhale stuck in his chest as his gaze locked with Will's dilated and dark green-blue eyes, open again, the brunet making and holding eye contact. It wasn't for very long of course, Will averting his gaze quickly downward, but it was enough to make Hannibal's chest tight with soaring emotions he wasn't sure he'd ever get used to having.

And then, as if in an attempt to kill Hannibal through suffocation by those same emotions, Will raised his gaze again, just enough to _almost_ meet Hannibal's, before speaking into the humid air between their nearly touching mouths, in a pleasure drunken tone, saying,

"…like last time…"

It was said so quietly, in such a mumble, that Hannibal mightn't have heard it had he been just another few inches away from Will, but as it were, he'd **heard** it, and he blinked once quickly as he stared down into Will's flushed face in amazed disbelief. Because even while he was stunned by those words, immediately his brain processed them and flashbacks of the last time they'd had sex came to mind vivid and raw; of him fucking Will close and slow and deep, his cock barely leaving the silken clutch of Will's hole the entire time…

With a deep, heavy inhale and a few more rapid blinks Hannibal was brought back to reality abruptly –hyperaware now of sweat trickling over his temples, down his neck, along his spine, muscles straining in his arms and back, cock throbbing hard -, by the feeling of Will's splayed hands sliding down his flanks, warm and trembling, to settle on his lower back with a gentle _press_ , at the same time as Will leaned up again and very lightly kissed his partially open mouth.

It was a wordless request to be kissed, just as his wandering hands were wordless encouragement for Hannibal to move. It was natural, it was happening…and Hannibal went with it, because how could he not? Whatever Will wanted…and _oh_ , what a **fool** he'd been to think Will couldn't know what he wanted, how he wanted it, wouldn't **ask** for it.

Incredible. Will was incredible.

When Hannibal dipped his head to kiss Will's slightly parted, swollen lips, in response to his own seeking kiss, he distributed his weight evenly; left forearm, right hand and both of his knees planted firmly on the mattress, and it felt like melting, like it was inevitable and perfect and fluid, as he began the subtle but _very_ precise upward press and smooth, firm roll of his hips, working his cock into Will just as he had the last time, with steady and unrelenting pressure against the younger man's sensitive prostate, keeping Will's slick passage filled and his flushed hole stretched constantly.

Wanting to get it right…needing to get it right, driven to satisfy Will's desires…

Will gasped harshly against his mouth, tensing into it for the first thrust, the second…before relaxing, moaning…arching and clutching as Hannibal set the pace, set the rhythm; the steady, controlled bumping roll of his hips against Will's rear, thrusts punctuated in the silence by a soft staccato smacking of their skin and the quiet squelch just there between their connected bodies. Will had been lax to the kiss initially, but as he adjusted, as he became attuned to Hannibal's movement, his lips sucked kisses and his tongue slid eagerly against Hannibal's own in between his freely sounded gasps and moans and grunts. His hands and nails were pressing into Hannibal's lower back, skimming the rise of his ass, moving with Hannibal's rolling hips as his legs –raised higher on instinct-, his inner thighs damp and hot, squeezed against Hannibal's sides, shifting and restless from pleasure.

Will wasn't holding back; Will had discovered what he liked, Will had waited in bed for Hannibal, he had wanted penetrative sex, had said _how_ he wanted it, he was chasing that pleasure, giving into sex the way he never had before, giving into it _with_ Hannibal, and he was not ashamed of it –at least not for the moment-, the brunet managing a few raspy and throaty curses of _oh God_ and _Jesus_ and _Christ_ between their kisses, the abandon of Will's blasphemy as he fucked the younger man deep and sinfully, absolutely enchanting to Hannibal.

And Hannibal watched him, barely blinking, like a desperately thirsty man drinking his fill, nourished and inspired, tortured and pleasured and set alight by the sight of Will's head tipping back against the pillow as he moaned and was jarred lightly with every thrust, his teeth following swipes of his tongue, catching on his full, reddened lower lip absently when he grunted, his dark hair and musky sweat clinging to his sex flushed skin, legs falling wider apart when he was wracked with overwhelming sensation, his cock stiff and sticky and mouth-watering, stimulated by friction and aided by lubrication between their clammy heaving abdomens…

…and Hannibal was greedy for every single sound, every sight, every scent that he could get, his own pleasure building from the buried and tightly stroked length of his cock embraced in velvet heat, spreading to his balls, his thighs, along his spine, to every straining muscle and to everywhere Will's skin made contact with his own, his entire body feeling shaken and pulling taut with heat and coiling, vibrant, delirious, heady pleasure.

Hannibal became deeply immersed in Will then…in the sex, having sex with Will, having Will…

He was lavishing Will's mouth with attention - lips near burning and sticky with sweat, saliva and friction- as they moved, moving _together_ ; Will using Hannibal's body under his hands and between his legs to writhe against him, with him. And they fucked that way for a long time, or perhaps a short time –Hannibal couldn't be sure-, but however long it lasted, when Will began to gasp for air and ' _ah'_ too frequently to kiss him back, he knew it was almost time.

Hannibal's own pleasure was bone deep, thrumming, rushing, routing his coherence as his orgasm closed in. Panting heavily, he turned his attention to Will's bared throat, sucking at his adams apple and pulse point and the underside of his chin, the hollow of his throat, his collar bone…tasting, marking.

He was steadily increasing his pace and force, Will hanging on to him, clutching now at his lower and middle back with both hands, the younger man's legs loosely hooked around him, hitched over his hips. And it was unusual for Hannibal to feel his climax coming up so fast, but he was hyperaware of the fact that Will –his very existence- was more than enough to test his resolve and stamina. For that reason, despite Will's cock being trapped between them and receiving a fair amount of friction, Hannibal rebalanced, barely a beat missed between thrusts, to slip his right hand down between them. He skimmed his dexterous fingers over Will's heaving chest, over a pert nipple and tensing abdominal muscles, to take the younger man's sex into his hand before beginning to steadily –stickily and quickly- jerk him off.

And it barely took more than a handful of firm strokes, coupled with the steady rhythm of him fucking into Will, before the brunet's body tensed up with orgasm. Will's mouth fell open, lips bright red even in the low light, to sound out several breathy half formed moans as he ejaculated, his come spilling between them, seeping and slipping tacky and warm into the spaces between Hannibal's fingers. The scent of Will's come had Hannibal flaring his nostrils as he inhaled the richness of Will's virile scent, the effect of the scent resulting in Will's body being jarred more harshly by the suddenly erratic, forceful drive of his thrusts.

He didn't ease up though, he _couldn't_ , not overwhelmed as he was in that moment…crested right there on the edge, his mouth hanging open as he fucked into Will's sensitive passage clamping down tightly around his cock. He didn't dare close his eyes either, intent as he was to watch Will's face in rapture, no matter how much his eyes drifted close to closing with every pleasure building pump of his hips. And it was worth it to hold out, because while Will's eyes had been tightly shut at the start of his orgasm, he opened them again soon after, half-lidded and pupils liquid dark with pleasure and satisfaction, meeting Hannibal's own gaze dead on as the brunet exhaled another breathy shaken moan, voice and expression wrecked, face flushed, vulnerable and beyond _lovely_.

Hannibal could not have held out then if he'd cared to try; seeing Will that exposed and vulnerable **for him** in addition to the pleasurable squeeze of Will's body and the intimacy of the moment…he barely managed a few more hasty thrusts before his eyes slid shut and he was coming as well, with an undignified gasped moan that strained the tendons in his neck as it rushed from his throat.

The rapturous pleasure emanating from inside his body in the wake of his orgasm was literally breathtaking, blooming from his pelvis outward and singing through every nerve until it tingled to numbness in his extremities. Trying to take a breath, hips jerking against Will weakly a few times more, he pressed his face, open-mouthed and eyes shut tightly, against the front of Will's throat, grunting another moan before he was able to take in a short harsh breath, followed by another. Hannibal's chest ached for it, and with sluggish movements he shifted to rest his weight on both forearms either side of Will's head, his knees sliding out from their leverage on the mattress so that his lower half was settled atop Will's.

Beneath him, Will's chest was rising and falling, and beside his ear, from the brunet's nose and mouth, were the audible, uneven, hot huffs of exertion, Will's breathing slowly regulating.

After a few long seconds of nothing but the sound of their breathing filling the bedroom, Will exhaled a soft and shaken ' _fuck_ ', the raspy tone of his voice a warm complement to their afterglow, both men coming down from their mutual pleasure. Pleasure that was extended further for Hannibal who, with his face so close to Will's skin, was properly able to smell all of Will's delectable chemically induced scents; sated, pleasurable calm and ease, lingering sexual arousal and oxytocin-rich affection…as well as the citrus-sharp scent of astonishment, more poignantly noticeable right then than it had been the last time he'd fucked the brunet into disbelief.

Slowly, the residual pleasure fading, he became aware of Will's fingers on his skin, flexing against his shoulders, warm, damp palms clinging to his equally warm and damp skin as the younger man's legs slowly slipped away –sliding their sweated skin together- as they settled to lightly rest against either side of Hannibal's legs.

And Hannibal was tempted to stay inside, since Will's channel was still sucking tight and clinging to his softening cock, even at near flaccidity he could feel the glorious pulse and grasp of Will's body around him…but Hannibal's mental sense had mostly returned to him and he _knew_ Will was likely to become uncomfortable soon.

He didn't want that to happen if he could help it, so after leaving one soft kiss, and then a second, to Will's neck, Hannibal raised his head and pressed their mouths together, pressing a soft, sticky kiss to Will's lips –which, to his relief, belatedly puckered in response- before he reached his right hand back down between them to pinch the rim of the condom, making sure he had it securely before he gently pulled out.

He rolled off the younger man then, to settle on his back on his side of the bed, still breathing deeply to regulate his own breaths. Lying in the relative silence beside Will, he closed his eyes and stretched his legs as he used both hands to remove and tie off the condom, making a small knot in the latex with an audible snap. Will didn't move yet, so neither did he, both of them lying that way for a long minute as their breathing quieted and the air cooled their skin…and then Hannibal felt Will shift slightly beside him.

Swallowing softly, unsure of what to expect, Hannibal turned his head on his pillow to look at the younger man, who was still lying on his back, one leg now comfortably drawn up and bent at the knee. And Hannibal was tempted to kiss him again, just looking at his handsome side profile; eyes half-lidded, his cheeks warm with a lingering blush, arched nostrils gently flaring with each breath, a faint sheen of sweat shining on his smooth skin, curls a dark mess above his head. All of those details tempted him so badly, and while he wouldn't give into that temptation _yet_ , he planned to one day be able to, to make Will orgasm a second time, a third…multiple times even in one night. He would take Will a part for hours into daylight if he had to, showing him the pleasures of extensive sensual foreplay and the intense wonder of dry orgasms, using his fingers and his mo-…

…his future planning was interrupted when Will shifted again, Hannibal watching as the younger man turned his head and then slowly rolled onto his side to face Hannibal, settling on his side and pressing his face into the down softness of his pillow as he sighed softly.

Lying that way, their heads were inches apart, Will's face hidden so that Hannibal could mostly see the sex-mussed tangle of his curls settled against the side of the brunet's face and ear. Again, he was tempted to touch and kiss and caress, pull Will closer and embrace him, but after all of the boundaries he'd just crossed, Hannibal thought it'd be best to give Will some personal space. Because even though the sex had been amazing, that didn't mean Will wouldn't have regrets in the aftermath. He'd chosen subconsciously, at some point, to accept that it may always be a possibility where he and Will were concerned.

For that reason, he actively strived to make up for his misconduct by pushing himself to sit up, shifting to the edge of the bed and swinging his legs off before he stood up and walked, naked, to the bathroom, switching the light on again before walking inside and disposing of the condom. Whilst there, Hannibal perfunctorily cleaned himself up –absently running his hands through his hair after a glance at his reflection-, and after a beat of hesitation, he wet one of the soft, gray bathroom hand towels with hot water, squeezed out the excess, folded it quickly to contain the heat and then walked back into the bedroom with the lightly steaming terry cloth in hand.

Hannibal half expected Will to already be asleep, -and covered- seeing as how the two former times they'd had sex, that had been the follow up, but he was surprised to find that while the younger man was still lying on his side, his face was no longer buried in the pillow. Instead, he was lying with his cheek rested on the soft pillow, one hand tucked underneath it, the other rested flat on the mattress near his chest, as he watched Hannibal approach the bed with those gorgeous half-lidded eyes and a sleepy expression on his face.

The room was still heavily laden with the scent of sex, his senses saturated with it even more so, and as a result, Hannibal couldn't actually tell if there was anything negative from Will permeating the air, but the younger man's body looked relaxed and calm where he was lying comfortably on his side near the center of the bed. And dammit, the line of his long, lean body was endlessly tempting, from the strong curve of his shoulder, into the dip of his flank and waist, leading into the subtle rise of his narrow hip before inclining into the muscled, lithe line of his thigh, the same leg bent at the knee and lightly rested against the mattress for the purpose of balance while his other leg remained mostly straight beneath it.

A picture worth sketching, painting and sculpting…he was unintentionally elegant, entirely desirable…

…metaphysically flawless…

Curiouser still, he remained naked and seemingly unabashed of the fact, which was thrilling for Hannibal in new and gratifying ways. It made him want desperately to crawl onto the bed and leave kisses and bruising, red suck marks over the exposed expanse of skin on show; from Will's fine boned ankles all the way up to his sweetly curl-adorned temples and forehead. And _ah_ , he clenched the towel tightly in his fist, as the rules and concerns of crossing lines once again came to mind, standing in his way, keeping him in check.

But even those rules failed to hold him back entirely, and Hannibal once again took a chance of pushing at those invisible boundaries. Instead of handing the warm towel to Will so that he could wipe himself down –as had been his original plan-, Hannibal knee-walked on the bed until he was at Will's side, where he shifted to lie down beside and facing the brunet, leaning on his elbow as he settled…Will watching him all the while. And he held eye contact with Will, who seemed determined to keep their gazes steadily set on one another, as he raised his right hand and shook the small towel out with a flick before bunching it up in his hand and pressing it to Will's chest from underneath his forearm, wiping it slowly over the pale skin there, from Will's collar bone down to his stickily lube and come stained abdomen.

And Hannibal was honestly surprised when Will's lips quirked into a smile and he shifted in some sort of awkward squirm, the younger man taking a hold of his wrist and stilling the towel and Hannibal's hand just above his crotch as Will huffed out quietly,

"What are you…doing?" his breath ghosting over Hannibal's chin at their close proximity.

Hannibal also found himself smiling –albeit with a hint of amusement-, realizing that in all of Will's life, falling asleep in a soiled state after sex was probably the norm for him. And while Hannibal was not completely disagreeable with the idea when the sex was as amazing as it had been with Will, he certainly wasn't all for it either.

Although, if Will preferred it that way, he would probably –i.e., definitely- just get used to it.

However, before he just conceded, he needed to see how Will took to the alternative option, and so despite the light hold over his wrist, he proceeded to gently wipe the warm towel lower, through the younger man's pubic hair and over his soft cock, the action of which made Will shift again as if to move away as his lips parted with the intent to complain. But Hannibal headed him off with a kiss to his parted mouth and a quick slide of his tongue that elicited a soft sound from Will that might have been surprise or irritation, before Hannibal intentionally deepened the kiss and Will's words were lost entirely to an audible, softly shaken exhale from his nose.

As he kissed the younger man, deep and slow, pleased and relieved that Will was reciprocating –though distractedly-, Hannibal continued with his intent to wipe the excess fluids from Will's skin, gently sliding the towel over Will's testicles and between his thighs as much as he could in that position, and then slowly back up again. And as he did so, Will's rather lax hand eventually relinquished hold of his wrist completely and settled instead on his upper arm, where his fingers tightened their grip the moment Hannibal moved his hand over Will's hip and down…down until he was gently wiping, fingers in the towel, between the firm mounds of Will's ass cheeks.

Will inhaled sharply through his nose at that moment and his skin flushed hot so suddenly that Hannibal was unsurprised when the younger man abruptly severed the kiss…but he was surprised when instead of shoving him off, Will buried his face –mouth open and breaths coming shallowly- into the pillow beneath his head.

The reaction immediately raised a question in his mind, the prospective answer of which concerned Hannibal.

Why hadn't Will told him to stop if he was uncomfortable? Was he forcing himself to let it happen? Resigning himself to Hannibal's touch in that instance so as not to be difficult? But Hannibal found it really hard to believe that Will would keep quiet if he wanted him to stop…and then he recalled that he wasn't supposed to make assumptions about Will's feelings and thoughts. Since thus far, Will seemingly hadn't regretted anything that had happened between them, and even right then, Will could easily have stopped him, Hannibal's touches were far from forceful…

Looking beyond his concerns, Hannibal listened to Will's shallow breathing, noted the bright redness of his ears, felt the clench of Will's fingers into his arm and Will's glutes against his hand, and he found himself wondering if rather, it was just too strange for Will…or perhaps too intimate, the action of being tenderly cleaned by a lover after sex. Whatever it was, the younger man was very obviously embarrassed by the thoughts and feelings going on in his mind and body, and Hannibal, being Hannibal, found his vulnerability wonderfully enticing, so much so that once again he found himself eager to test Will's limits.

Deciding on the spot to explore further, Hannibal removed his hand from Will briefly in order to toss the towel over the edge of the bed on Will's side, hearing as it landed on the wood flooring with a soft thump, before he brought his hand, his fingers, back and slid them down to the sensitive intimate space of the younger man's body that he'd just wiped clean of lube and sweat.

And while Will's hole was no longer stretched open, excessively slick or pliant enough to comfortably take Hannibal's sizable cock, two of his fingers slipped in with little resistance, making Will's hips jerk forward as another muffled noise was huffed against the pillow, and the younger man's rectum clamped down around his fingers, leaving Hannibal only barely silencing a noise of his own by smothering a kiss against the exposed side of Will's neck.

He knew he was over doing it, he knew that he was taking risks that could cause major setbacks, but Hannibal was never one to shy away from risk. After all, everything he'd ever done to, for and with Will Graham had been a risk, and right then, reveling in the permitted right to touch him so obscenely and openly, so _intimately_ , was invariably worth the risk.

And Hannibal, always expecting the worst, was thrilled when his risk, for the moment, faced no rebuke.

Will actually seemed fairly calm, lying there beside him, breathing into the pillow, flushed from hips to ears, fingers clenching against Hannibal's arm as the brunet's open passage relaxed and tensed around Hannibal's gently sliding fingers with each slow press in and draw out, while Hannibal indulged himself in licking and kissing the delectably natural flavors from the skin of the brunet's neck and shoulder.

As he licked just beneath Will's soft earlobe, he wondered absently if there would ever come a time when Will would appreciate the taste of his skin or the masculine lines of his body as Hannibal so loved the look and feel and taste of the younger man. He was just beginning to imagine possible scenarios of being tasted by Will's gorgeous mouth when the risks he'd been taking finally caught up to him…at the very moment he gently applied pressure to Will's prostate.

Will's hand moved quickly from his upper-arm to grab at his forearm with a quiet smack of skin, and the younger man raised his head then –eyes closed and mouth still open- to softly but clearly say the word ' _stop_ ', before he settled his forehead on the pillow again, breathing noisily into the warm air between them.

Hannibal, shocked into immediate retreat, with a tight knot of tension coiling in his stomach, gently withdrew his fingers from Will, raised his hand to hover over Will's rear and leaned away, ceasing all form of touch except for where Will held his forearm tightly. He tried to prepare himself then for the censure, for Will telling him he was taking advantage, that he was overstepping, that he'd just snapped the last straw of Will's tolerance…

…but just as with the times before, Will surprised him by doing exactly **none** of those things.

Instead he loosened his grip on Hannibal's arm and raspily verbalized his thoughts and feelings by saying,

"I'm…uh…a little sore…" so quietly that Hannibal only just caught the words. But the force of effect with which they hit him was just about as impactful as if Will had punched him. Except, it wasn't in a bad way, it was a _good_ winded feeling, because Will vocalizing his feelings about sex was _progress_.

Certainly though, Hannibal felt guilty for inflicting his too curious nature on Will yet again,

"I apologize…" he breathed out, staring down at Will with barely concealed amazement and reverence, "…the desire to touch you is…sometimes overwhelming." he said honestly, their breaths mingling as he whispered his own weakness into the quiet of their lamp-lit bedroom.

Will opened his eyes to a squint and managed something like a smile; clearly tired and a bit crooked, his white teeth gleaming softly in the low bedroom light. His eye color was seemingly darker than usual too in the low light, and the image of his face in that moment was immediately imprinted in Hannibal's mind palace as ' _Will with bedroom eyes_ '. Will squeezing his forearm once lightly brought him back to real time, before Will let go, and while he didn't move away, he did roll over to face the other way, moving sleepily and sluggishly, huffing a sleepy breath and closing his eyes again as he did so.

Hannibal watched him turn, and once Will settled, Hannibal touched his naked shoulder lightly with the backs of his knuckles, and Hannibal wanted to move closer, he wanted to _spoon_ Will, to curl up around him, to fall asleep with his scent, the feeling of his damp curls and the warm skin at the nape of Will's neck lulling him…

And Will was his, technically…his partner, his _lover_ , and so he could do those things, technically…but he still felt hesitant about it. He wasn't ever completely sure or confident that it'd be welcome. Still, that evening he'd already crossed so many lines, it made him wonder if spooning would really be the thing that pushed Will too far.

Will shifted then, bringing Hannibal out of his distracted consideration, as the younger man reached down for the bed covers, pulling the dark blanket up over his legs and waist –and partially over Hannibal's too-, before adjusting his pillow. He then reached out to switch his lamp off before settling down to sleep…and it struck Hannibal how it all seemed so normal, so _natural_ and so very _domestic_ , that he didn't think there'd be a better moment to move closer, to settle down to sleep beside Will as a couple would. A normal, domestic couple.

He had to force himself not to think about how many times Will must have done a similar thing when in bed with his former _wife_...

Ignoring the ache in his chest at the derailed thought and the hurtful image it conjured in his mind, Hannibal once again decided to take the risk, lifting the covers and slipping properly underneath them as he moved closer, until he was right behind Will. He pressed up against him gently, their lower legs tangling, the tops of his thighs settled against the backs of Will's, his pelvis and soft cock nestled against the younger man's firm backside, his abdomen and chest flush against Will's back and his face right there, against the side of Will's neck. He stretched one arm above their heads so he could be comfortable and slid his other hand over Will's hip, curling his arm around Will's waist before he pulled the younger man just that much closer to him and pressed a soft kiss just beneath Will's ear.

If Will was made uncomfortable by Hannibal's continued need for closeness, he showed no sign of it, simply adjusting to the new position with a few subtle shifts. And since Hannibal could feel no tension and could scent no anxiousness in their close proximity, he felt more confident in the fact that holding Will in the aftermath of sex wasn't crossing any lines, and so he settled in that way, closing his eyes and allowing himself to fall asleep holding Will.

Something that had once seemed novel and ridiculous and impossible; now a reality.

* * *

Their intimacy, the emotional and physical sides both, were starting to feel more real, more cogent, to Hannibal, especially when the morning after the third time they'd had sex, everything had felt balanced and normal and comfortable.

Will had woken up around 7 AM, with a pre-installed but recently reinstated awareness that he had a dog to see to, and while Hannibal had been more or less awake for a while before already, he'd opted to pretend to be asleep in order to observe how Will reacted to waking up in the position they were in, i.e.: stark naked and loosely spooned. He'd been both surprised and not, that they hadn't changed position much throughout the night; surprised because he wasn't naturally inclined to cling and cuddle, and not, because he'd been so comfortable and Will had fit so nicely against him…and they'd both been so sated.

Hannibal had been smiling softly, secretly, into Will's hair, -a terribly sentimental thing- when the younger man had stirred, shifting slightly at first to get his bearings, his slighter weight pushing against Hannibal's just a bit as Will's back had pressed into his chest, the brunet's firm backside brushing against his crotch and his curls tickling Hannibal's nose as Will had nuzzled his face into his pillow with a deep waking inhale.

Hannibal had expected the slight moment of tension in Will's body, which came, once he actually became aware of where he was, but then, it didn't last more than a second, nor did it play out badly. Instead of the awkwardness or discomfort that Hannibal had anticipated, all Will actually did was pat lightly at the arm Hannibal had slung over his waist as he said,

"Hannibal…I gotta' pee…" in a groggy, still sleepy tone of voice.

Hannibal, feeling better emotionally than he had in days, had moved with feigned sleepiness to roll onto his back, and slowly Will had gotten up, grabbed his boxer shorts from the floor beside the bed and pulled them on, before he'd stood and walked with a sleepy wobble over to the bathroom.

* * *

The day had gone on pleasantly after that; Will had cleaned up in the bathroom before he'd dressed and left the bedroom, getting Francesca leashed so that he could take her out for the morning. And after Will was already out the door, Hannibal had risen, taken a hot shower, prepared and dressed for the day and then made his way downstairs to prepare breakfast as he usually did.

He'd left the house just before 9 AM, honking the car horn once as he exited the driveway, leaving just when Will was returning from the usual morning run on which Francesca accompanied him, along the path behind the house…

…and when Will smiled, raising his hand in acknowledgment –and Francesca barked- Hannibal couldn't help smiling to himself.

* * *

It was unsurprising that over the next week, things happened as they had been happening for weeks already, which was, after all, what routine was, especially when domesticity was a part of it. Because two people living together had to adapt and exist with and around one another, so Hannibal took it in his stride, accepting –like he did everything else concerning Will- that only time would naturally change things.

No matter how comfortable, and in some aspects rather quickly, things were progressing, Will still needed _time_ for the physical intimacy, even the littlest things, to develop organically, to come more naturally to him _._

And Hannibal was entirely willing to let it be, the only difference being that he didn't want the same tense build-up to happen as it had the other night, he didn't want sex to always be a result of Will letting him close only when the younger man realized a lot of time had passed. And waiting for his own sexual tension to build-up so much that he felt almost resentful was an even worse and very unhealthy scenario, a poor foundation for a physically intimate relationship. So he endeavored, subtly, to make changes.

If he wanted Will to feel more comfortable with simple touches and closeness, Hannibal figured it would be a good idea to fit himself into the younger man's everyday routine as much as he could, instead of just waiting and allowing Will – as he had been so far- to fit into his. A little more compromise was due, and so despite it being difficult for him, Hannibal altered his daily routines to better match Will's.

To accomplish this, Hannibal started small, changing his weeknight after work routine, so that he spent some time with Will…and Francesca, for a few minutes before and an hour or so after dinner.

And Will seemed to react positively to it, smiling with unbridled affection at the dog –as always-, but also with slight uncertainty, yet still genuine fondness –and affection- at Hannibal too, the younger man always watching with quiet fascination as Hannibal petted, played with and fed snacks to Francesca along with him.

It was only a small thing, but it meant something to Will, and that was significant.

And so when the next Saturday came around, Hannibal made a greater effort still, and instead of getting up and exercising by himself in their lower level home gym, as he usually did, he dressed in dark gray running pants and sneakers, pulled on one of his practically unused dark blue hooded sweat jackets over a plain white T-shirt, and was waiting and ready to go for a morning run with Will and Francesca.

It was amusing to see the expression of confused surprise on Will's face, although whether he'd been more surprised that Hannibal was going to join him, or that he'd been wearing sweats, a hoodie and Adidas track running sneakers, he wasn't certain.

Either way, Will hadn't rejected his unspoken self-invitation and they'd left out the back exit of the house together, locking up behind themselves. And in a bizarrely normal and domestic manner, they had gone running on a pre-determined path, Francesca on a long running leash ahead of them while he and Will were jogging side by side. They didn't talk much at all, because managing their breathing was necessary, but Hannibal was not unaware of the fact that Will occasionally glanced over at him with something of a half-smile on his face.

Hannibal had taken that as a definite good sign at the time, and had found himself proven correct when they'd returned home from their run…

* * *

They'd all entered the kitchen out of breath, and just as Francesca trotted over with clicking nails on tile to her water bowl, Will went directly to the refrigerator and pulled it open, taking out two bottles of water.

Hannibal, feeing sticky and hot, had been pulling his sweatshirt off over his head, and only once he'd placed it half folded over the back of one of the island counter stools and had pulled his T-shirt into proper place, did he look at Will…who was just standing there watching him, waiting to slide the second water bottle across the island to him.

Hannibal caught the water bottle and nodded at Will in thanks as he uncapped it, the younger man doing the same, and for a few seconds they both drank gulps of water from their bottles and breathed somewhat loudly through their noses.

Francesca had wandered further into the house by the time Will set his empty bottle down on the counter and was yanking his own black sweatshirt over his head, and Hannibal didn't bother to look away, openly admiring the revealed smooth fair skin of Will's lower stomach and side as the T-shirt he wore underneath the sweatshirt briefly rode up. Will dropped his sweatshirt on the counter, never one for folding and fussing, and Hannibal looked away then, licking his lips and staring at the far wall as he took another drink from his water bottle.

He wanted to look at Will, stare really, at the way his dark green T-shirt clung with sweat to his well-muscled form; to his pectorals, his shoulders and biceps, to his flanks and stomach, but he also didn't want to risk getting aroused wearing sweatpants, as the timing wasn't appropriate, not for the effort he was making to get Will comfortable with non-sexual closeness and intimacy.

Not that Hannibal would _mind_ licking sweat from Will's skin and-

"…could you, uh…" Hannibal looked at the younger man when he spoke, and he found that Will was looking strangely, almost curiously, at him. And Hannibal couldn't help noticing that amidst the warm and alive and wonderful scent of Will in the sterile kitchen, he had a faint flush on his face that wasn't entirely from exertion. And he was fiddling with the bottom of his water bottle where it was placed on the counter, turning it around and around absently when he quietly stated his question fully, "Could you….take your shirt off?"

Hannibal's first thought was ' _of course'_ , followed immediately by ' _why'_ ….because why on earth would Will ask him to remove his shirt? But before he could logically pick it apart, the muscles in his arms twitched –fingers too- at his sides, a –pathetically weak- urge and inclination in him making him want to move to do it immediately. But his mind, quick as it was, backtracked very suddenly to his recently acknowledged insecurities over his physical appearance as a man ten years Will's senior, and he remained still, now marginally tense as well.

There was a beat that passed as he held eye contact with Will, before Hannibal resigned himself to acquiescence. After a blink and a light swallow, he averted his gaze and set his nearly empty bottle of water down on the counter, licking moisture from his lips and thinking with quiet dread about what features the average man was attracted to; whether it be in men or women, whether they'd be Will's age or not, younger or older, on _average_ …

…and of course, what came to mind was not a man of Hannibal's age or appearance.

Especially when he wondered, for the umpteenth time, about what homosexual pornography Will had perused in the time before they'd first had sex. As it was, in his mind he pictured much younger men than himself, aged between 25 and 35, probably muscularly 'ripped', hairless in most, if not all, places. All of that tight unblemished skin under flattering lighting, all of those physically impressive men filmed at the best angles, sweating during sex …and not from a long run, looking less than their best.

All the same, Hannibal reached his hands back, grabbing at the shoulders of the T-shirt to gather it up, still not making eye contact as he pulled his T-shirt up over his head. The thin material clung to his sweaty skin just a bit and untidied his product-less, sweat damp hair even further, as it came off. But Hannibal, firmly in control as he was of himself, made his best effort to seem unselfconscious once he stood shirtless in the glaring morning light of their large kitchen.

He reached out and placed the shirt over his sweatshirt on the chair back with one hand as he carded his other hand through his hair to tidy it somewhat. And he still didn't look at Will, keeping his eyes focused on the kitchen countertop, finding the sight of a few fine dog hairs there suddenly completely un-concerning.

Seconds of silence, that felt too long, ticked by…and just when Hannibal finally looked up, Will started moving. He left the empty bottle on the counter and then he took slow steps around the island, moving toward where Hannibal stood, closing the distance between them more and more until they were just –the oft present distance of- one foot a part.

Uncharacteristically, Hannibal chose to avoid meeting Will's eyes, that was, until Will started speaking,

"I've never actually…" and his voice was so quiet and somehow delicate, that it intrigued and surprised Hannibal into looking first at Will's water wet, faintly flushed lips, before raising his eyes to settle on Will's own, "…seen you…exert yourself." he finished, the younger man's own eyes settling on Hannibal's bare shoulder.

Hannibal frowned at those soft words though, not liking what they might reveal to him of Will's thoughts.

Did Will see weakness in the sweat clinging to his skin as he'd run, did the younger man see age or something withered in the fact that his breathing had accelerated, that his chest had heaved from running? Hannibal was momentarily insulted and silently furious, because Will had been _more_ out of breath than he had by the end of their run, and so if that were the cas-

"You looked so _human_." Will breathed out, cutting off Hannibal's thoughts abruptly, and again leaving him uncertain of how to feel about the observation, "You look so human right now…" he added, voice filled with some unclear emotion, and Hannibal's lips parted to comment on that just when the brunet raised a hand…

…and with cold condensation moisture clinging to his hand, he pressed his fingers into the lightly curled thicket of hair on Hannibal's chest, the water on his fingertips mixing with the slight dampness of Hannibal's skin.

Hannibal tensed, quite stunned at the sudden contact, immediately swallowing whatever he'd been thinking of saying as he stared at Will, even as the younger man didn't meet his eyes.

Instead of making eye contact, Will flattened his palm to Hannibal's chest,

"I've seen you in the _aftermath_ of exertion," Will said, still so quietly, his hand clammy and cool against Hannibal's skin, "in the aftermath of fighting Budge…and surviving Brown." his head tilted a bit, eyebrow raised, "I was knocked out before I could see you deal with Verger's lackeys." he frowned now, his scent betraying anxiousness and disdain despite his face just looking vaguely hard of remembrance, "And I was too late to see you…that night in your kitchen…"

Hannibal swallowed again, amazed that in that non-sexual situation, -considering that Will only scarcely touched him during sex, when it was done on driven instinct, done with the need to cling or stop or ground himself-, somehow right then, he felt himself connecting with Will on a different level, feeling even more intricate emotions he hadn't known himself capable of.

Throat tense from feeling, he managed to speak the words,

"…just the aftermath." in agreement with Will's observation.

A grimacing smile twitched onto Will's face,

"Yes, just the aftermath…" the brunet's fingers curled lightly into the hair on his chest, "…and it was the same in Florence, I saw you after your fight with Jack, and then again, _after_ that **clusterfuck** with Verger. You never even exert yourself when we kill anyone together." he frowned slightly.

"What about The Dragon?" Hannibal had to ask, his tone a low rumble, since he and Will had been in that fight together, they'd seen each other stripped down, teeth bared, blood drenched, and they'd recovered together afterward, both in terrible condition. It was a clinical question for Hannibal, focused as he was on the importance of Will's words, but it was apparently the opposite of clinical for Will, because at the mention of that night, a sprig of heated excitement graced the air with its unique scent, filtering into Hannibal's acute senses.

Will inhaled softly, the brunet's hand sliding down from his chest to his abdomen then, his palm set flat to Hannibal's skin as he answered,

"Most of your exertion that night was a side effect of being shot with a 12 gauge Remington…" he mumbled, and then closed his eyes and slid his hand to the left, caressing the ugly scar tissue of Hannibal's shot-gun wound, "…but mostly, that night was," he swallowed thickly, "it was indulgent of the darkest, formerly latent and most intense desires inside of me." he said quietly and slow, and Hannibal wet the inner seam of his lips absently at hearing the unexpected confession spoken with such soft, rough _confidence_. He went on then, "It was dark, hedonistic, physically awakening in ways that felt…" there was a shaken exhale from the brunet as Will finally met his eyes and swallowed thickly, "...that **feel** so good, so resonant that I…that it devastates me, affects my sense of the little extrinsic details." his eyes dropped again, mouth pursing slightly and cheeks flushing anew before he added, "It's like when…when we have sex." in an intimately confessional tone.

Hannibal stopped breathing for a moment, Will having confessed something just then that neither of them had expected, and they were both silent for a long moment, just standing in each other's presence, Will's hand settled against Hannibal's side and Hannibal wanting very badly to ravage Will's parted lips with a kiss.

But there was still anxiousness lingering in the younger man's scent which kept Hannibal in check.

He wet his lips again when the silence dragged on too long, and he brought his hand up to very lightly graze his knuckles over Will's still clothed shoulder as he spoke low and in a raspy tone,

"And how do you feel…seeing me as…human?" he had to ask because he had to know. Will's answer to that question would mean more to him than it should, would affect him deeply, he knew, but he needed to know.

Will was staring at his hand on Hannibal's abdomen, his fingers lightly moving, not caressing or feeling, just there, shifting with each shallow rise and fall as Hannibal breathed. And it took the brunet a moment, an audible swallow and inhale, before he answered,

"Relieved." a beat and then, "Closer." said in a whisper, followed by Will leaning in and just lightly, just so, just barely, he sniffed at the skin of Hannibal's collar bone.

Electricity shot up Hannibal's spine and his skin prickled, neither reaction particularly good or bad, although he was at least mostly certain he didn't smell of B.O, after all, he was wearing roll-on deodorant -as one did before leaving the house for any reason-, but that wouldn't mask the smell of his sweat in general.

Which, he knew he'd appreciate the natural scent of on Will's skin, he did all the time, he did right then, but what of Will's thoughts? Will, who had spent the better part of his life with women who, 95% of the time, were fragranced by some product or other. And Will had just confessed to never being aware of the little details during sex, so he probably never took note of the smell of Hannibal's skin in those moments. Also, the fact that Will had only once admitted to liking the way he smelled–when Hannibal had been, and most often was, clean and fresh and quaffed- didn't help either, because right then was not one of those times.

But Will didn't say anything, or make a bad face as he drew back, so there was no way of knowing his thoughts. And when the brunet removed his hand from his damp skin, Hannibal was at least somewhat relieved to note that Will did not wipe his palm off on his running pants. That was a good sign as far as he was concerned, even if Will was possibly just being polite by not doing it right in front of him…

Hannibal was mentally thrown by the action in all honesty, grasping for words in his rather extensive English vocabulary for something to say, and through his –much loathed- speechlessness, something nostalgic, and probably not all that good to rehash, came to mind.

The words then left his mouth without a hint of humor or a smile,

"Did you just…smell me?"

Certainly, his voice was nothing like Will's in sound or accent and he lacked any intonation when he said it, but they both knew exactly where that question had come up before. And while Hannibal was subconsciously worried that Will would find his words _tasteless_ and _tactless_ , a reminder of Hannibal's past lies and deception, the brunet didn't react badly at all.

In fact, he smiled and snorted, and then huffed a few laughs as he _finally_ met Hannibal's eyes again,

"…uh…" he cleared his throat, smile lingering and then surprised Hannibal further by saying, "…difficult to avoid." repeating what Hannibal had said to him so long ago. But of course the reason would have to be different since the circumstances so vastly were, and curious of what Will might say, he followed through with,

"Oh?" prompting the younger man to finish the scene as he raised his hand again, and that time he settled it on Will's shoulder, a light touch and a subtle squeeze, brushing his thumb over the cotton.

Will didn't shrug him off or move away, rather he leaned in just a bit nearer, still smiling, anxiousness fading, tension draining away,

"Yes…" and he smiled, "…but, uh, I don't have a wiseass excuse for it…" he huffed more soft laughter, eyes lowering to Hannibal's bare chest before sliding back up again to meet his own, eyebrow cocking in that unknowingly sexy way Will had, before he added, "…unlike someone else I know."

Hannibal found himself smiling genuinely, teeth revealed in the honesty and unspeakable fondness of it. He slid his hand from Will's shoulder up to hold the side of his neck, his touch tender and caressing, but then his smile faded when he found himself feeling brave enough to ask,

"Does my scent please you…?" he asked in a far from confident tone, sounding several shades too uncertain as the words of _'…as yours pleases me.'_ went unsaid. And despite the nervous turn over in his stomach, he stood close and watched Will's face for tells of any answer he could find there.

Will however, was still smiling slightly even as he frowned just a bit,

"Yeah, well, uh, you don't smell bad or anything…" he shrugged, his answer not a compliment nor an insult, but also not wholly encouraging; being that as it was though, Hannibal was not discouraged.

Rather, he found his physical restraint –which only existed for Will and their slowly expanding relationship- quickly coming undone with every honest word from the younger man. The longer they stood so close, the longer he could smell the scent of Will's skin and hair, the longer Will smiled and dared eye contact with him, the bolder Hannibal felt.

His mind raced then, scenarios forming in his mind of how best to go about initiating something… _anything_ , contemplating a touch here, a press there, a well-placed application of body to body pressure. Trying to simultaneously calculate whether the odds would be in his favour, what Will might be amendable to at that moment, and he failed to realize that his gaze had wandered so that he was looking intently at Will's mouth.

It was only brought to his attention when Will's lips moved to form the words,

"…you can…kiss me," he said quietly, head tilting very slightly back, "I want you to." he added, and then leaned in just so, eyes half closing. But Hannibal, struck by the simultaneous shocks of being given permission to do something so _simple_ and of his own deep appreciation and gratefulness for said permission, just raised his gaze to meet Will's and he blinked, almost reptilian in its quickness, his face set in an expression of stone; as it usually was when he was uncertain of how to work out his confusing emotions.

Will leaned away just a bit then, blinking uncertainly, and Hannibal –brain firing the necessary synapses finally- knew that it was due to his response, or lack thereof-, to Will's words. Momentary self-reflection set to pause and not wanting the younger man to misread him as had so often occurred in the past, he quickly leaned in, raising his hands up smoothly to cradle either side of Will's face, pulling him into a slightly abrupt lip to lip kiss, Will's sharp intake of breath at the suddenness much louder than Hannibal's soft exhale of affection.

And Hannibal, spurred on by the constantly searing desire for Will that now always simmered beneath his consciousness, went straight for more. The moment he felt pliancy in Will's lips he slid his tongue across the softly closed seam of Will's mouth to coax it properly open, tilting his head and sliding his hands further back to splay his fingers into the brunet's lightly sweated curls. And Will did not deny him, even then, when the kiss was unnecessarily aggressive, he parted his mouth, he tilted his head accordingly, he closed his eyes, he leaned in…but the rush, the intensity, the constant _desperation_ that Hannibal was tonging into Will's with, was –yet again- not returned.

And that only made the desperation _worse_ for him, it only personified the ache and fear of abandonment, which grew more and more every day, with every new expectation, with every new fantasy that Hannibal was entertaining of spending the rest of his life and his dying breath…with Will.

Plagued by **what if's** ; what if Will just couldn't return his passion, what if Will's interest, his desire, was fleeting and novel and limited…then _how_ could Hannibal accept that, how was it sustainable, how was it fair? Why had Will let him get so close if he hadn't really needed him there…hadn't really wanted him-…

Reacting to a sudden onset of emotional _panic_ , Hannibal moved on autopilot, stepping into Will, against him, almost pushing him backwards and crowding him against the counter rather roughly, his need to dominate and control revealing itself in his actions as clear as day as he kissed Will deeply; loving and lamenting every unenthusiastic stroke of the younger man's tongue against his own.

It was horrible, _demoralizing_ , the perpetual feeling of inadequacy he was living with, the constant fear of imminent rejection, the ever present possibility of great loss…always, _always_ wondering when it might end, when might be the last time he would be allowed to set sight and lay touch to the physical presence of Will Graham with his very own hands…

Breaking down slowly and in new ways, Hannibal let go of Will's face and immediately dropped his hands to slide them up the back of Will's damp, loose running shirt, pulling the brunet's body against his roughly, his palms splaying and grasping at Will's warm, clammy skin as he drew back from the kiss to suck sorely on Will's lower lip before delving right back into the rich heat of his mouth.

But Will _didn't_ allow it that time. He broke off from the kiss quickly but smoothly, turning his face aside briefly as he used his hands to take a hold of Hannibal's face in order to stop him from continuing. And breathing heavily into the quiet kitchen in unsteady intervals, Hannibal didn't try to kiss him again, experiencing that same _ache_ and _fear_ deep in his chest that felt like being emotionally strangled, knowing Will was preparing to speak, to hurt him with words the way a knife or gun never could.

Shamefully, he found himself unable to open his eyes and look into Will's deep blue-green eyes in that moment, not even with their faces inches apart, breaths mingling, could he face his self-created tormentor. So as a coward would, Hannibal kept his eyes shut, hiding, and continued to hold Will close to him, arms around him, clenching his jaw as he attempted to regulate his panic induced breathing, trying to prepare himself...

He was thinking, _'To have come so far, only to find ourselves back, trapped in that one looping moment in time, right before one of us will have to bleed in some way…'_

It was like a broken record playing in his mind, their past, their present and future on a loop, the movie behind his eyelids…and Will was speaking…and he didn't hear it, but he felt Will's lips press softly and stickily to his own in a gentle but firmly puckered kiss. And then, breath shaken and frowning slightly, Hannibal parted his lips for another soft, gentle kiss.

Will spoke again after that, he said softly,

"…just that…"

It didn't sound good. _Just that._

Hannibal felt cold, he swallowed thickly, exhaled shortly into another soft kiss Will placed on his lips.

He wanted it clarified though, the meaning of those words, apparently every bit an emotional masochist as he was a physical sadist, he asked,

"What?" it was more of an accented grunt, so inarticulate and rude, said right against Will's lingering mouth, but when no answer immediately came, and there was just silence and their touching lips, he dared to open his eyes.

Will's gaze was half-lidded and dead set on his own, and his nose was brushing Hannibal's at their intimate proximity, and he wasn't smiling, but he wasn't sad or anything even close to morose when he said,

"Just kiss me…I want…just that, just kissing right now…" he repeated what he'd likely said a moment before and Hannibal was nodding once and then again before he'd even decided to.

Of course, because why would the answer be anything other than _yes_?

He went to lean back in, but as if he'd known Hannibal's pace would still be feverish, Will held his face in the cradle of his hands, and he guided Hannibal to ease in to a kiss, their mouths touching without the abrupt collision of pressing teeth and misaligned lips. And instead, their lips came together smoothly, Will's lovely bottom lip fitting perfectly, soft and smooth and full between his own. Hannibal, not one to question a kiss from Will, followed the younger man's lead without objection, and from a closed-mouth kiss of softly parting and sealing lips connecting, to the sliding of tongues into accommodatingly open mouths, the kiss was _wonderful_.

But Hannibal's mind was still racing and he was still rushing, wanting, and desperate as he pressed forward for more, mouth and body. But again, Will held him back with his hands either side of Hannibal's face, with just enough firmness to make a point about the pace he wanted…

...it was a show of strength and assertiveness from Will, of him knowing what he wanted, that calmed the torrent of Hannibal's mind almost instantly, and feeling weak, leaving himself completely in Will's hands –only ever Will-, he didn't need to be directed again, he just gave in.

The next slide of his tongue against Will's was slower, gentler, more measured and far sweeter for it, the taste and feeling far easier to savor too. Especially as his panic ebbed, his concerns about Will rejecting him fading for the moment and being replaced by a swell of emotion and those ever ready butterflies stirring suddenly. He felt weak and lost and like he never wanted to be apart from that pain and confusion; from Will.

But in some ways it didn't hurt at all, because the kiss and its many emotional layers reminded Hannibal of their first real kiss, of the first night they'd slept together, when Will had kissed him slowly and attentively. Every other kiss since then had been by Hannibal's lead, the raw, passionate, ravaging way of kissing that he was naturally inclined to wanting whenever he tasted Will. But this type of kissing, the slow, meaningful kissing that revealed the skilled technique of Will's swirling and sliding tongue, that revealed the earnest pleasure the younger man found in the unhurried merging of their mouths, this type of kissing said a lot about what Will wanted between them, out of their life together, and Hannibal was _only just_ realizing it.

A minute passed, in which they kissed languidly, Will leaning against the counter and easing his grasp on Hannibal's face until he was cradling and caressing Hannibal's jaw, neck and hair with his hands and fingertips instead of clutching for control. And despite his emotions continuing to overlap and unsettle the neat order within his mind palace, Hannibal physically relaxed too, having slid his hands down and out from under Will's shirt, one now rested on the younger man's hip while his other hand was placed lightly against Will's collar bone, a few of his fingers skimming just below the neckline of Will's T-shirt.

And it was all more intense somehow, the quiet, breathy, slow and controlled but _ongoing_ , dedicated and defining meeting of their mouths; lips, tongues, breath, again and again. There was a buildup to it that Hannibal had never before experienced, having never spent a great amount of time _just kissing_.

He was fully erect from it quite quickly too, and yet…not achingly so, just consistently aroused by the closeness of Will, the press of his lean body, the scent of his skin and the warm to cool sensation of the brunet's breathing against his skin.

It was…satisfying, more so than Hannibal would have thought possible, to just hold Will and _kiss_ him.

And even more so as Will became more comfortable, as his hands went in a natural progression from fidgeting with Hannibal's hair to cradling his face, to caressing his neck and finally to the slow slide of Will's arms over his shoulders until they came to rest around Hannibal's neck, so that they were closely and intimately settled against one another as they kissed.

It was a powerful bonding moment, and it caught up with Hannibal all at once when he was easing his hands over Will's flanks gently, before pulling the younger man's lean body against his briefly to bring their hips flush together, followed by a slow deepening of the kiss; the reality hitting him of just how precious the meaning of the kiss was to him. Of what Will meant to him

And perhaps his moment of epiphany was more openly expressed than he'd intended, because for no apparent reason – at first- Will withdrew his arms and once again cradled Hannibal's face in his hands, before he severed the kiss with a slow sticking of their kiss swollen lips. And he exhaled softly, his mouth partially open, tempting Hannibal to just lean right back in and reclaim the rich, warmth of it. But Will wasn't interested in that it seemed, as instead of more kissing he sought eye contact in that moment, keeping their faces just an inch apart.

Hannibal met his gaze, facing all fears, and both their pairs of eyes were half-lidded, their breathing as loud as it hand been after running, and so very pronounced in the quiet of their big, empty house. A moment still in time.

He was clinging to it with every part of himself, and it was only when Will quietly breathed out,

"I'm not going anywhere, Hannibal." in a sincere and openly affectionate tone, that Hannibal realized his eyes were watering.

And when he blinked and tears, slight though they were, actually slipped from his eyes, the moment became overwhelming in a way Hannibal wasn't sure he was ready for.

So, like a coward yet again, Hannibal ducked his head and leaned forward to press his face into the side of Will's neck, where he took in a deep breath, partially sniffing. And when Will's arms once again, slowly at first, and then with more confidence, circled his shoulders in an embrace, holding him, Hannibal's next inhale and subsequent exhale were slightly rougher, slightly shaken and was very, really and truly, **relieved** …so relieved that it undid him enough that all he could stand to do was lean into Will's closeness and just _hold on_ to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Leave me your thoughts?


	3. It takes a lot...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Third chapter is here! Sorry for the delay again! Time, time, time. ): And also I'm trying to write an Alpha!Hanibal/Alpha!Will one shot, i.e: discovering that Omegaverse gives me a headache.  
> \- This is not beta-read, apologies for any errors. Please report them to me!  
> \- This story was inspired by Damien Rice's music, inspirational to the last. But for this chapter I was all over my playlist.  
> \- I hope everyone enjoys!

* * *

 

* * *

He hadn't actually cried, save for the few tears that had escaped his eyes when he'd blinked, but Hannibal still felt as though he'd let himself slip just a bit too far in that moment, having showed Will a weakness, a flaw, in his usually solid demeanor. And it concerned him, knowing that Will now knew the extent to which Hannibal _needed_ him, or maybe he'd _always_ known, considering the way he'd acted at the time, the control he'd displayed, the words he'd spoken…

The entire situation had put Hannibal on edge –albeit only inwardly-, and so for the next twelve hours he was the one who avoided Will, their rolls being swapped from the way it usually went.

Hannibal had accepted that he was pathetically and hopelessly in love with Will, certainly, but that didn't mean he wanted Will to know of it to that extent, or that he wanted to experience Will taking advantage of that, because it would make him resentful toward the younger man and that would be a terrible, aggravating step backwards.

So he resigned himself to keeping away as much as he could while he worked out the best way to navigate the latest hurdle between them. And he'd expected Will to leave him alone too, he expected the younger man to enjoy the free time he was now conveniently allotted to spend with Francesca.

But as it turned out, that was not to be the case.

* * *

He was sitting in his study, or rather, his and Will's study, the following early afternoon, having avoided Will as much as he could all morning. He was presently enjoying a cup of tea as he reread a copy _The Decameron_ by _Giovanni Boccaccio_ in original Italian, when the younger man knocked once, cursorily, on the door, before he entered, stepping inside quietly and closing the door behind himself.

His presence was unexpected, still though, Hannibal lowered his book and raised his eyes to regard the younger man, as it would have been rude to do otherwise, even if he wasn't keen on eye contact or interaction with Will right then. And it was then that Hannibal noticed that Will was somewhat dressed up; wearing a pair of dark jeans that complemented his long, lean legs fittingly, not hugging but shaping the curves of his buttocks, thighs and calves just so, and with it he wore a comfortably fitting beige cotton Henley, the long sleeves of which were pushed up to his elbows.

Will had long ceased wearing layers upon layers of clothing, and Hannibal never failed to appreciate the sight.

He padded soundlessly across the study on bare, pale feet, making his way to where Hannibal was sitting on a single sofa chair near one of the tall bookcases. Hannibal tilted his head to look up at Will, who he expected would stand nearby or sit in the accompanying armchair while he spoke about whatever he'd come to talk about, but then was very surprised when Will sat down on the arm of the sofa he was seated on –which Hannibal didn't particularly like, but would ultimately not say a word about, because if Will was comfortable sitting there, then so be it.

It was just one more thing that Hannibal would allow…no, would _accept_ , about his equal.

Will was 'straddling' the sofa arm, being that he was sitting on the edge of it, facing forward with his legs slightly spread on either side. His hands were clasped together loosely between his thighs as he turned his head and looked down at Hannibal, who just then lowered his gaze, sitting still and expressionless as he waited to hear what it was that Will required of him or wanted to say.

"You've been in here all day." Will said apropos of nothing, or perhaps, actually not, since Hannibal had been in there all day keeping his distance and that was possibly the exact reason Will was coming to see him.

He considered making an excuse, saying that he'd been in the mood to read in solitude, but then Hannibal reminded himself that Will would probably know he was lying, after all, the younger man wasn't an idiot.

"Yes, I have," he admitted rather as he closed the book, having made a mental note of exactly what page and paragraph he'd stopped on, "I didn't think it was likely you would seek me out, I assumed you'd be out with Francesca." he said evenly and mostly honestly, managing to keep the lingering bitterness he actually felt about _that_ from filtering into his voice.

Will nodded, eyebrows raising briefly before he shrugged,

"I took her out earlier, she's doing well, she's uh…she's getting used to the routine now, the lay of the land outside." he shifted a bit, so that he was sitting facing Hannibal a little more, the side of his lower leg touching Hannibal's as a result, "She's getting used to us too, this has become home to her." he smiled softly and Hannibal noted the grateful tone in Will's voice, obvious gratefulness.

The younger man was _truly_ happy having Francesca in their lives, he was truly happy that she was a part of their lives…and moreover, he was happy that Hannibal had accepted her as such.

He smiled then, as much as he could without being false, meeting Will's eyes as he nodded once,

"I too, am happy to hear that she has integrated so easily and so well, Will." he said, and he meant it, he was being sincere, Will's happiness made him so completely sincere it was almost staggering.

And as per usual, as Hannibal had discovered in their time together, his honesty, being frank and open, pleased Will significantly, making the younger man smile brightly at him right then, the kind of smile that reached his eyes, stretched his fair lips across his white teeth, all of these features highlighted outstandingly by the dark colour of his hair.

And his smile, his real smile, was gorgeous.

Hannibal was still staring at his smile when he felt the rough texture of Will's palm sliding over his knuckles, his long slender fingers curling and sliding into the space beneath Hannibal's palm, where his own fingers were lightly curled and relaxed, and when Will squeezed his hand lightly, he squeezed back, his heartbeat traitorously increasing to just a tick faster and his gaze averting now with Will's hand in his own.

Such a simple touch, and yet it felt so intense.

"Well, uh, I'll leave you to read…" the brunet said after a too long moment of silence, and he didn't remove his hand from Hannibal's so much as allowed their grasp to naturally separate when he stood up, "…enjoy your book." Will said with a lingering small smile and then he turned and walked away.

Hannibal curled his fingers tighter into a slight fist and watched him leave, and then he stared at the door after Will had disappeared through and closed it behind himself.

There was warmth settling in his stomach and in his chest in the wake of Will's presence, and having been distracted by it, it wasn't for several minutes after that he realized that Will hadn't come to be belittling or condescending, and not even strange about the previous day's events.

It took him several more processing minutes before he actually reopened his book and continued to read.

And even then, Hannibal didn't really read anything printed on the pages, because he could think of nothing else but Will's scent, the feel of his hand, the radiance of his smile and his understanding presence.

* * *

The subsequent changes in Will's behavior were so subtle that had Hannibal not been as attuned to the younger man as he was, he would not have noticed them at all.

They manifested in the form of the littlest things, the littlest but still very tangible, present and effective things, for example: Will would walk by him, where he was seated on the sofa, and while passing through the lounge the brunet would touch the back of his neck with light fingers, trailing along until the touch became a slight and fleeting squeeze to his shoulder. In that particular case, the former action was the notable one, because Will had often touched him fleetingly and in a rather platonic and friendly way, but he'd hardly ever touched him _sensually_ , rarely during their times in bed and certainly never so casually in passing.

But such touches had increased with some frequency since the morning that Hannibal had –in a way- laid himself metaphorically bare at the mercy of Will's well-honed empathy.

Other things that happened; Will would briefly tangle their fingers if they walked by each other closely through doorways and sometimes entirely without reason, even in _public_ , when out shopping, getting coffee, et cetera. And other times while they were cooking –individually or together- he would make contact; their eyes, hands, shoulders, arms, touches that were not unconsciously done, and were in fact completely intentional.

Simply put, Will was becoming **tactile** , and with every touch, graze and soft caress to his hands, arms, neck, back and even once –while they'd been sitting on the sofa together- a hand on his thigh just high enough above his knee to _mean something_ , Hannibal was quietly losing his cool. How long could he be expected to _not_ seek more of those sweet touches from Will, was he just supposed to endure their teasing lightness and hope an explanation would present itself?

* * *

After about two weeks of it, and not much else besides chaste greeting and goodnight kisses, Hannibal was rapidly becoming certain that endurance was not going to be possible for him much longer.

Especially since presently, the situation was looking to test his control…as Will so often did.

They'd finished eating a delicious dinner sometime earlier, prepared with the best skill by Hannibal himself, in honor of Francesca having been there with them for a month and having successfully assimilated to their home.

Said dog was currently curled up near the steadily burning electric fire, head on her paws, sleeping comfortably after she too had eaten a rich and healthy dinner prepared by Will that afternoon for their evening meal.

Presently, Will had just poured Hannibal and himself a fresh glass of red wine, their third each for the night, a night that had been a great pleasure of excellent food and excellent company, as it always was when shared with Will in recent times. The younger man was returning from the bar, walking over to the main sofa which faced the fireplace, the very same one on which Hannibal was currently settled, one leg elegantly crossed over the other as he leaned back in his seat with one arm rested along the back of the three seat sofa.

The atmosphere was warm and intimate, dinner had been delicious and conversation for the evening had been nothing too serious or overly philosophical, and _thus far_ Will hadn't done anything to test Hannibal's resolve physically…until right then, when the younger man walked over and held out the crystal wine glass for Hannibal to take, and once he had it in hand, Will moved –with his hand holding his own glass carefully aloft- to sit down…

…right next to Hannibal. So near in fact, that their thighs were very nearly touching.

Now, generally Will was not the sort to _casually_ occupy Hannibal's space, but right then, that is exactly what he was _intentionally_ doing. And Hannibal didn't mind of course, not even remotely, except, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with all the wordlessly offered closeness. Because one thing was for certain, he did not want to do the wrong thing or put a hand in the wrong place.

The younger man had removed his shoes after dinner and was, as he usually preferred, barefoot –insofar as he was still wearing his charcoal grey socks-, and so he comfortably tucked one leg up on the sofa, hooking his foot into the space behind the knee of his other leg and he settled so he was partially facing Hannibal, leaning his shoulder into the plush backrest of the couch as he held his wine glass in the loose clasp of his fingers.

Hannibal, taking their casual proximity in with a carefully blank expression, was absently focused on the light tapping Will's fingers made against the curve of the glass in his hand, and so he was surprised when the brunet's next words were more serious than any conversation they'd had so far that evening,

"I've been thinking a lot recently, about circumstance." his tone was quiet and even.

Hannibal was immediately on high alert, taking in a quiet but deep breath since he was not sure of whether the circumstances Will was bringing up overlaid a potential emotional minefield. But he decided, between a sip of wine and a swipe of his tongue over his lower lip, to tread carefully,

"Oh?" was the best –pathetically- that he could manage, because psychoanalyzing or leading conversations with Will was not something he did anymore. The younger man _detested_ it. Wary as he was, he settled back comfortably and chose to follow the conversation instead, mentally preparing himself for what may come.

"Hm…" Will responded with his lips to the rim of his glass, eyeing Hannibal with an unreadable expression and only speaking again once he'd taken a sip and swallowed the dark liquid, "…inevitability and circumstance…" he paused then and they looked at one another just before Will said, "…fate and circumstance." his eyebrows rose slightly, his expression still unreadable.

Hannibal stared at him then, absorbed the sight of him in the fire's light; the front curls of his hair were softly brushed back, so while they didn't hang over his forehead, one or two pieces were curled along his hairline and against his ears, and Hannibal was very tempted to reach out and touch the hair he knew would be soft against his fingers, but he didn't.

He let his momentary stalling pass as easily as it came and he resigned himself to giving his attention to the conversation Will had started, and whatever it would lead to.

"What about fate and circumstance?" he tilted his head slightly, idly playing his fingers around the bottom of his own glass as he held Will's gaze, "The events that set things in motion or…" he swallowed subtly, "…regrets in the aftermath." he posed the question necessarily, even though he'd rather not hear Will's answer if the latter were in fact the cause of his pensiveness.

Also, Hannibal was still waiting for his show of vulnerability to Will from two week earlier, to come back to haunt him. It wasn't that he believed Will would want to humiliate him, but he didn't think Will was above using that moment of weakness to remind Hannibal that he was not always in total control.

Will didn't smile in any smug sort of way though, nor did he look sarcastic or amused, he simply lowered his gaze to his glass and shook his head,

"No, no regrets…" he said quietly, "…I'm so… **so** far beyond regretting things at this point." Will admitted with a slight shake of his head, "And," another pause, "I'm done feeling guilty and self-conscious about being happy." he added in a quieter voice. Hannibal had to smile then, a small upturn of his lips as he regarded the younger man's ever-handsome face,

"I'm very pleased to hear that you're happy, Will." he said just as quietly, just loud enough to be heard over the crackling fire nearby.

Will raised his eyes again, looking at Hannibal with a small frown and smile,

"You say that as if you didn't already know." he commented, now sounding somewhat amused, and he sipped his wine as his smile widened a little further.

Hannibal's own smile stretched to reveal a few teeth as he felt the warmth of the usual affection he felt for Will settle inside his chest, his stomach, forming a slight lump of sweet emotion in his throat,

"Where you are concerned, I've learned that what I think I know, and what is actually fact, are often greatly different things." he confessed, being honest with Will as he usually did these days.

Will's smile turned into a smirk now,

"Really?" he said rhetorically with a lilt of disbelieving humor to his tone and then added, "You used to be able to read me like an open book, Hannibal."

Hannibal, where he should be disappointed in himself, or upset by Will finding amusement in what he was lacking, felt nothing but more drawn to the younger man, Will's confidence and self-assurance being endlessly attractive to him,

"I knew a version of you, one that was influenced to a large degree by surrounding factors," he said evenly, unafraid apparently –even when he should be- to show Will more of his weakness, more of his admiration and affectionate feelings, "which resulted in predictable actions," he paused when Will lowered his gaze, and he leaned in closer, dipping his head so that Will looked at him again, "but even then, there were so many times when you surprised me; but only with your choices, never because I didn't think you could." he said quietly.

"…my choices." Will echoed, swallowing slowly, "My actions…and that's not fate, Hannibal, fate did not determine our circumstances." he decided, "I find it hard to believe a man like you could believe in something as simpleminded and out of hand as _fate_ , when you've proven that you make your own." he frowned again, very slightly.

Hannibal smirked now,

"I never meant fate as in divine providence or pre-destiny, I meant it as a statement of the outcomes we knew with certainty…" Hannibal hated what he was about to say, but Will had led them here, "…would occur as per the choices we made."

"The choices I made…" Will said softly and then inhaled deeply and softly and licked the inner seam of his lips, "…which resulted in needless death and suffering," Hannibal unconsciously held his breath, expecting Will to bring up Abigail –after so long-, but then he went on with, " _years_ of separation," he tilted his head so his forehead rested against the sofa backrest, but his eyes remained on Hannibal, who watched him unblinkingly, "dragon slaying," Will smiled now and snorted a soft laugh. Hannibal blinked, watching transfixed, "some extreme-sport cliff jumping." Will's eyes slid closed as he begun to snicker in earnest, and Hannibal smiled then too, enraptured, looking at Will with a deep fondness he always surprised himself by feeling.

Will looked so domestically at home; soft, gorgeous and beautifully cast in oranges, contrasted by shadows too, both sources of highlighting emanating from the flickering firelight and dimmed lounge lighting. And smiling as he was…he was so splendid right then.

Hannibal waited, very curious to know where Will's train of thought was going, so he didn't dare interrupt with words. And after a moment, when Will stopped laughing –cheeks just ever so slightly rosy from the warmth of the room, the expensive wine and whatever cheerfulness he was experiencing right then – he picked up where he'd left off,

"Being fugitives…being understanding…" he opened his eyes again and lifted his head, eyes now focused on Hannibal as he added quietly, "…being patient… _real_ and _honest_ ," he was whispering and smiling again, and Hannibal knew Will was –finally- talking about what had happened weeks ago. "and it brought us here." he finished.

Hannibal fought the urge to frown, because he hadn't expected that flat, inconclusive statement at the end.

His throat felt dry right then, and when he spoke his voice sounded tense,

"And where is here, Will?" he knew Will did not mean the words in a literal sense, and so his answer wouldn't be literal either.

And perhaps it was partially because of the sweet, intimate atmosphere of the moment, but Will went on to steal Hannibal's breath away when he raised his free hand -his wine glass held in his other- and placed his open palm against the soft, expensive cotton of Hannibal's dark blue dress shirt, against the firm muscle of his right pectoral, lightly and yet weighted in all the ways that counted.

" _Totus._ " the brunet said sincerely, and with his own emotions heightened by the scents of Will's clarity and honesty, Hannibal passed his wine glass to his right hand so he could raise his left and lightly, reverently, he touched Will's trimly bearded and scarred cheek.

"Do you truly…" he almost couldn't believe it, "…feel complete here, together?"

Will swallowed again, his emotions showing more outwardly visible now with their mutual points of contact, their light touching affecting him further in the growing intensity of the atmosphere around them.

"Yes…" he breathed out, a smile stealing across his lips, his stunningly ocean-hued eyes swimming with emotion, "…no regrets." he added as he shifted his hand, that damn subtle, casual touch that Hannibal was still becoming accustomed to, to slide down just so, in a light caress from Hannibal's chest to just below his ribs and then back up again.

Hannibal settled into a state of quietly stunned speechlessness as he stared at Will, the desire within him to use his hand placed against Will's face to bring the younger man forward into a kiss was hard not to give in to. Will wasn't so affected though, and Hannibal didn't think too much about whether that bothered him or not because the brunet posed a question,

"What about you?" and Hannibal should have expected Will to ask, so before Will could attempt to repeat the actual question, Hannibal nodded,

"Yes, I feel complete." he said quietly and then wet his lips with a slow swipe of his tongue, "Since before now even, since…" he stroked his thumb along Will's jawline, "…since the night we killed The Dragon together." he admitted, looking at Will openly with all of the affection and love he felt so deeply.

And perhaps Will saw the absolute truth of it then, perhaps he saw that Hannibal's complete surrender to him that _fateful_ night so long ago had been the reason that the Chesapeake Ripper hadn't just killed him upon escape and fled to his freedom; had rather stayed and waited to face the possibility of his own death, had allowed Will to throw them off a cliff into the cold Atlantic, because Will's breath shuddered and his fingers curled into Hannibal's shirt in a tight grip before he opened his hand again and slid it down and to the side…

…Will's hand sliding off Hannibal's body and pressing into the seat of the couch for balance as the younger man leaned forward and kissed him, no hesitation, no delay…warm, soft, wine tainted lips pressing and slotting perfectly against his own.

Hannibal's could not have stopped himself from eagerly reciprocating even if he'd wanted to, and of course, he did not want to. He caressed his hand up into the silken strands of Will's hair just when the initial close-mouthed kiss eased into a mutual parting of lips and mingling of breath.

Hannibal knew his breathing had become deeper than Will's, but anticipation of kissing Will tended to do that to him, let alone the actual action itself, especially when _initiated_ by the brunet.

And Will certainly owned up to the initiated kiss, sealing their parted mouths together and sliding his tongue languidly and sensually along Hannibal's own with the intensity and interest of a man with an open desire to taste and be tasted.

They were leaning into one another more now, and sitting relatively close in a reasonably comfortable position to kiss. But Will's hand was still pressed into the couch for the sake of his balance, and Hannibal could feel the strain in Will's forearm where it was pressed against his hip.

Endeavoring to take the pressure off of Will, since he had hope to continue kissing the younger man for a good long while, he moved his hand down in a caress from Will's hair, over his shoulder and down over his arm at the same time as he leaned forward, letting Will know through the subtle touch and shift in weight closer on the couch that he could ease back, all the while not stopping the sensual, wet motion of their mouths for more than a second, parting and sealing together with softly audible smacks as they kissed.

Will accepted the shift in balance easily, and Hannibal refocused completely on devouring the younger man's sensuous lips then, licking into his mouth with smooth skill, sucking on the brunet's tongue and lips between strokes and teasing licks and laps against Will's own tongue. He was as acutely aware of Will's taste and sounds and scent as he ever was, reveling in the scent of his skin, hair and breath, the taste of his lips, the feel of his beard and warmth of his free hand now settled on the curve of Hannibal's hip, clutching the slightly bunched fabric of his shirt.

Despite the depth of the kiss, after just a minute Will drew back and severed it, using his hand to press lightly against Hannibal's stomach as he did so, so he would move back. It left Hannibal disappointed in all of those small painful ways he often felt when he expected too much where Will was concerned, and was abruptly reminded where he stood and what he was allowed to have.

Not in charge, accepting and not taking, yearning and hungering and occasionally being rewarded for his patience.

Perhaps it was the most twisted thing about him yet, but Hannibal would rather live on that edge, _needing_ and _starving_ , for the rest of his life than ever be a part from Will again.

As it were, Will had not moved away from him entirely, which Hannibal was quite pleased by. The brunet seemed to only pause to lick his lips before he raised his unfinished glass of wine between them,

"Could you put this down for me?"

Again, surprised and pleased that Will opted to ask him instead of getting up to set it on the coffee table, which was just a bit too far away right then, he took the glass with a small nod and turned his body and arm just enough to set both glasses down one by one beside each other on the side table.

He nearly dropped one though, because when he turned his head to see where he was putting the second one, Will set warm lips to the side of his neck and sucked a gentle kiss against his pulse point and Hannibal's fingers became almost slack around the glass just as he set it down.

He closed his eyes once he'd safely released the glass and Hannibal took in a quiet, deep breath as his heart raced and his stomach shook with the intensity of his shocked arousal over Will's actions. The younger man continued to kiss along the exposed column of his neck, his free hand now steadily smoothing its way up to Hannibal's chest while his other remained at Hannibal's hip. Every warm breath, touch of wetness from his tongue and tickle of his hair was divine against Hannibal's skin, and he found himself lightly grasping the sides of Will's face and neck as the brunet kissed his neck. The progression of kiss and touch was steady and quite natural then, Hannibal turning his head when Will's hand caressed up and up to settle against his jaw at the same time as he used slight pressure to tilt Will's head back just enough that they could kiss again, lips parting wide and tongues touching briefly before the kiss sealed with a soft click of moisture.

Hannibal had the intention of going in for another kiss, but then Will's eyes opened and the brunet shifted…but not with confidence or certainty, quite the opposite actually. The entire movement that followed of weight and limbs happened a little too slowly, awkwardly and stiffly as the younger man placed his hands on Hannibal's shoulders for balance and then got up onto his knees on the sofa, before tentatively raising one leg over Hannibal's lap until he was settled astride Hannibal in what looked like a very uncomfortable straddling position.

And _of course_ he was uncomfortable, since Will had likely never been in such a position before, not in the way that wasn't playful or fleetingly dominant when done with a woman, certainly never in a way that cast him in the 'female' role, as he knew most people saw it. And Hannibal didn't need to be a psychiatrist or have excess. empathy to know that that was what was definitely on Will's mind right then, even as the younger man –leaning in from a higher angle now- dipped his head and reinitiated the kiss.

Doing his best to be accommodating to whatever Will was exploring between them, Hannibal rested his head back against the couch and returned the kiss. But he was no longer at ease, because while it was no matter to him that he liked the position simply because of how sexy it was, no matter the images that came unbidden to his mind of Will naked and riding his cock that way, no matter that he felt hot and bothered and extremely aroused at Will's voluntary experimentation, he was too wary and too acutely aware of how tense Will suddenly was and the many ways he could upset the situation if he made one wrong move.

As they continued, the kiss gaining heat and intensity after a while, Will seemingly settled into the motion and position, even though he was still tense and not technically sitting in Hannibal's lap, still mostly on his knees. Hannibal, turned on and then some, was tempted to run his hands over Will's thighs, tempted to hold his hips, caress his waist and sides and his chest, grab his ass. But in the back of his mind, he knew those were all things Will had likely done to women in that same position, as he himself had done that to his female _and_ male lovers in the past, so it left him feeling too uncertain of the brunet's possible reaction to take a chance…just yet.

It was a few minutes later, the kiss still sensual and deep and excellent, their lips now swollen and reddened from friction and stubble and their skin flushed with heat and arousal, that Hannibal felt Will relax against him properly. His knees shifted apart just so and the brunet leaned forward just enough that his weight was more settled against Hannibal, the hardness of his cock now pressed against Hannibal's stomach…and wasn't _that_ just the most satisfying thing to feel every time.

To know that Will was **naturally** aroused by him.

Will made a soft breathy noise when his crotch pressed to Hannibal's stomach and Hannibal let his self-restraint ease up then, drawing confidence from the fact that he had broken the 'rules' before and Will had yet to complain or be angry at him, he did as he'd wanted to and slid his hands up Will's inner thighs, caressing them upward and over to settle on the younger man's waist, where he fixed his hold and moved Will down and forward against his front and into his lap, bringing Will's firm ass down against his clothed cock as he grinded up, effectively rocking them together, just once, to facilitate their mutual arousal.

The sensation of it was blissful, and not just the stimulation, but the new closeness, every new closeness…everyday with Will was new and painfully, perfectly unpredictable and it felt like properly living somehow.

When Hannibal did it again, Will breathed a huff from his nose and their kiss briefly turned aggressive, some teeth and tongue sucking from Hannibal and Will's one hand gripping sorely into the muscle of his shoulder while his other tangled and pulled at the hair at the crown of Hannibal's head.

Hannibal did it again then, and again, intermittently rocking their hips together without a proper rhythm, and at one point Will even parted from the kiss briefly to moan ever so softly when Hannibal arched into him to put more pressure against his cock. The younger man was responding so well…right up until the moment he wasn't anymore. And for the first time in weeks, Will actually said,

"…stop…" against Hannibal's mouth with a hot, damp exhale, just as Hannibal brought their bodies together in another firm and slow grind.

Hannibal did, he stopped immediately of course, his grip on Will's hips loosening as he pressed back into the sofa and opened his eyes to look up at Will, swallowing the immediate lump of tension that had formed in his throat at that single word, and ignoring the tug of tension coiling in his stomach as much as he could.

Will was frowning and he hadn't yet opened his eyes, also, the tension had returned to his body, particularly his bottom half, which was now once again no longer settled in Hannibal's lap. And even though Will had been plainly enjoying it and was so clearly aroused; skin flushed, lips kiss swollen, breaths deep, cock hard and straining against his pants while the cocktail of his sexual hormones titillated Hannibal's superior senses, the younger man was clearly uncomfortable again, and Hannibal didn't even need to ask why.

He still attempted to ask,

"Will…" was all he managed to rasp out though, before Will was moving again, hands on Hannibal's shoulders as he pushed himself up and off, standing and taking steps back on his socked feet until his calves bumped against the side of the solid, wood coffee table and he sat down on it, hands at his sides on the table as he settled himself there and exhaled loudly.

"Will-," Hannibal tried again but Will shook his head and raised blue-green eyes to meet his own,

"It's just…a bit strange." he confessed without needing to be asked, glancing to the side when Francesca, who had been asleep, lifted her head to look at them and then settled back down. The fire was crackling softly in the background for a beat before Will went on, "I thought, in the moment, that I could," he raised his eyebrows and smiled mirthlessly, "attempt to…" he frowned now and brought one hand up to rub over his face, "…assume the position-,"

"And what position is that?" Hannibal uncharacteristically cut him off. Because the last three words made tension, frustration and irritation light up his nerves. Back again and back again, Will always seemed to return to a place of ignorance born from his former interpersonal relationships and social outlooks, and especially where feelings and expectations were concerned between them, they seemed to clash. This situation was no different than the previous times the brunet had made narrow-minded assumptions and decisions about things between them. Hannibal didn't even know why he was surprised. And while he hadn't mastered it yet himself, also often making flawed assumptions about their relationship and interactions, largely because their dynamic was very new to him, he made every active effort not to let it affect his _decisions_.

Taking a quiet breath and calming himself in the ensuing silence, Hannibal thought about the words the brunet had said specifically, and then he considered Will's subsequent hesitation to answer his own question. Those two reactions left Hannibal wondering if maybe Will was not so bothered by the position he'd taken, as he was by the fact that he'd become comfortable in it very quickly.

How often were the mind and body their own worst enemies after all? Too often, really.

He reminded himself then, more sternly, that he needed to be patient, as Will was dealing with a transition from heterosexual to bisexual, and was probably learning things about himself that both excited and unsettled him.

Will tilted his head, a slight motion that drew Hannibal's complete attention back to him, the younger man's eyes darting away from meeting Hannibal's, looking at their sleeping pet instead as he spoke,

"The slighter position…" he looked to the fire now, eyebrows raised, shoulders tense "…the woman's position." he added very softly and with a partial grimace.

And there it was, as expected. Exactly as expected.

 _'_ _At the very least,'_ Hannibal thought, _'I managed to read him correctly this time.'_

It was thought with little mirth or triumph though, but ultimately, he didn't allow his irritation over the misconception to show through, keeping his expression neutral as he often did, and he regarded Will evenly for a quiet few contemplative seconds before he spoke,

"Is your outlook on gender roles in sexuality truly so narrow minded?" Will looked at him sharply now, frowning, and yes, Hannibal was aware he was coming at the topic _all wrong_. So much for being neutral, "Or are your reactions to our sexually intimate interactions based on how you believe **I** see things between us." and so much for not psychoanalyzing. He was not handling this diplomatically or patiently _at all_.

Will, seemingly thrown off by the blunt question, blinked a few times, an unknowingly attractive sight as his eyelashes fluttered just so, but, frustratingly, he didn't say anything, he just looked away, pensive. That reaction was honestly worse than if he'd answered.

Hannibal didn't let silence overtake them and rather he took up the reigns of the conversation,  
"Do you _feel_ like a woman when we kiss, when we touch…" he kept his gaze steadily on Will even as the younger man was not looking at him, "…do I make you feel that way when I touch you, when we have sex?" he finished, purposely not using the words 'make love' since he wasn't sure how Will would feel about the sentimentality of it.

Will still didn't answer, still didn't look at him, but Hannibal was not deterred, not when it came to discussing the psychological aspects of anything,

"Do you feel weaker for it, as though you are emasculated? Or is it just the feeling of being vulnerable within an unfamiliar situation that unsettles you?" Hannibal asked, knowing that he could relate to the latter as that was how he'd felt about certain aspects of being sexually intimate with another man his first time, but he would not linger on that subject, and he would not reveal that to Will, not when he'd already shown the brunet so many of his soft, yielding spots. Newly annoyed by his own vulnerability to Will, Hannibal poked around for Will's yielding spots, "Perhaps you dislike that you enjoy the vulnerability." Will clenched his jaw, "No? Then is it that the pleasure you experience when we are together feels gender-specific somehow, do you feel like you are a woman when you orgasm, do you think that I see you that way simply because of the _position you assume_?" he asked flatly.

Will scoffed harshly and leveled him with a serious warning look,

"You're antagonizing me, Hannibal." he stated just as flatly.

Hannibal felt immediately regretful, despite having been doing just that.

With no excuses to make for his snarky behavior, he inclined his head in acknowledgment of it,  
"Yes, it seems I am…" he conceded with an apologetic tone, which was as good as it was going to get right then, "…in this, however, I just find that I completely disagree with you."

Will half rolled his eyes, some tension leaving his body as he sat forward on the table, his erection, like Hannibal's, had flagged enough at that point for it to be comfortable, and he rested his elbows on his knees, looking at the floor space between them as he spoke,

"You say that as though you'd be perfectly fine with crawling into my lap and making out." he sounded heavily sarcastic. But before Hannibal could state that; yes, he would, Will continued, "That you'd be willing to let me fuck you while you're on your hands and knees, or on your back with your legs…" he trailed of, making a half-arsed gesture of his arms spreading before dropping them again, his hands landing with a soft slap against his knees as he sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

Hannibal knew that Will was thinking about the fact that those very things had occurred between them recently.

And with that knowledge, he had to pause, because regarding the latter statements, Will was not incorrect. Hannibal would not be willing to do that…would he?

He had to think about it now, as it was an issue that needed addressing. So he asked himself; Would he? Would it be the same as it had all those years ago? Would he feel as vulnerable as he had? He'd _hated_ feeling vulnerable, especially that kind of vulnerable, not in control of his feelings as he preferred to be at all times. When he thought about it, the answer was plainly and earnestly **no** , as the idea didn't appeal to him **at all**. But then, perhaps that was the more accurate way to put it. He wouldn't be _interested_ in it, but he would be _willing_ to, for Will. There was a stark difference between the two feelings, but he considered the impact of both and accepted that one could be forfeited to make room for the other. Relationships were about compromise after all.

One thing was for certain though, he hadn't felt remotely like a woman during his experience. But then, it had never been about that for him. His own reservations had arisen from having been at the _physical_ mercy of another person. And he didn't see Will as a woman either. Oh, no…Will was absolutely a man, and Hannibal liked him exactly that way. But such was the nature of his sexual proclivities; beauty was beauty, attraction was attraction and sexual logistics were flexible and relative to an individual's likes and dislikes. That was it. Almost simple.

So caught up in psychoanalyzing himself for once, he'd lowered his gaze, only to raise it again when he heard Will huff irritably at his perceived avoidance of eye contact,

"That's what I thought." the younger man muttered and stood up.

And internally –maybe even a little outwardly- Hannibal panicked, because there was nothing _but_ negativity surrounding that moment between them and he could _not_ leave it that way. He stood up quickly, with as much grace as he could in a state of worried haste, and in a single stride he caught ahold of Will's forearm and stopped his retreat.

He hadn't known what he was going to do or say when he'd stood up, but when Will turned to look at him and he saw that same old resignation etched into the younger man's handsome features, Hannibal felt a little more of his long standing emotional resistance crumble and he allowed his anger and frustration and honesty to come forth,

"If that is what you want, I would not deny you it." he said without hesitation, steamrolling ahead, "But do not be angry at me for how I desire you, Will." he said in a tone that was just a little too raspy, a little too desperate, and he tightened his grip on Will's forearm even though Will was not moving away. He tugged the brunet slightly then, so that they were facing each other, "Do not be angry at me for wanting you the way that I do." he leaned in then, pressing his lips to Will's forehead and breathing out warmly against the skin there. Staying close.

"I'm not angry-…" Will started to say, bringing his hand up to settle it on Hannibal's upper arm, but Hannibal didn't want to let him speak, didn't let him say things he might not mean, so he dipped his head and kissed the words off of Will's lips, firmly, but not lingering as he drew back to say,

"For wanting to feel like you're mine…" he paused for a too quiet second and his voice dropped to an honest, raw whisper when he added, "…for feeling that way _especially_ when I'm inside you."

Will tensed up at the literal reference to Hannibal's desire of wanting to be physically inside of him during sex, and his lips parted against Hannibal's, likely with something to say about how he didn't need to hear that said so candidly, but again Hannibal didn't let him speak. Instead he did the only thing he could think to do in that moment, the only thing he felt would show Will the true balance of their power, would show the younger man that no matter what, Hannibal would fall at his feet when it counted.

And that's exactly what he did right then.

Right there, in the middle of the lounge, Hannibal slipped down to his knees on the plush carpet, both hands on Will now, gripping lightly, holding onto him, arm and hip, as he submitted himself to the unprecedented love of his life.

Will stood still and steady as Hannibal kneeled, he didn't try to move away and Hannibal pressed his face into the front of Will's abdomen, against his sternum, against the vulnerable giving space just below and between the brunet's ribs. He was ashamed, but not of the submission, only of his own _eagerness_ to submit, but it didn't stop him from sliding his hands over the younger man's hips around to the front of his pants. Hannibal opened his mouth to breathe and speak against the fine material of Will's shirt, eyes half shut,

"It is not about who is laying, standing, yielding, or even kneeling," he said honestly as he undid the button of Will's jeans and then finally, so Will could read his sincerity, he tipped his head back to look up at him, "it's not about a position assumed." speaking in a gruff, affected tone.

He pulled Will's zipper down then and watched as the brunet's eyes became half-lidded, his lips remaining slightly parted as he watched Hannibal open the flaps of his jeans. When Hannibal's fingers traced the waistband of his boxer-briefs, Will spoke,

"What is it about then?" he asked quietly, sounding nowhere near impressed but far from unaffected by Hannibal's intentions, "Just sex?" his breathing deepened and he frowned in either confusion or disapproval when he said, "You can't choose when to acknowledge or dismiss the presence of psychology in sex, Hannibal, you know better, it doesn't work that way." he continued to watch Hannibal closely, his resolve unmoved even as he was aroused. And he was right, it was true, sex had endless psychological effects between people, especially people who shared a greater intimacy than just the physical; people like him and Will.

But that didn't mean it had to govern the way they engaged each other sexually.

"I'm not dismissing it." Hannibal admitted as he curled his fingers into the waistband of Will's boxers and jeans, tugging them over and down just enough to free Will's erection. "I'm suggesting you focus on the physical aspects." he added gruffly before he parted his lips and took Will's thickening cock into his mouth, and not with ease, but certainly with zealousness, swallowing the younger man down more than halfway with an audible inhale, before he drew up with a firm suck, which elicited a hitched moan from Will that fueled his own returning arousal.

If Will had noticed how Hannibal said _you_ and not _we_ –because their discomfort with stepping into unfamiliar sexual situations came from opposite places; Will's psychological, Hannibal's physical- he was certain the younger man was too distracted now to latch onto it.

After delicately licking pre-come from the sensitive slit of Will's cock, he looked heatedly up at the brunet,

"If we remove the psychological boundaries you're facing," he slid his hands from Will's waist down to the rise of his firm buttocks just because he could, "then it's just about physical pleasure." He realized he was already slipping into the physical undercurrent himself, having been wanting to do this for a while now, to be able to taste Will's essence from its core without anything else –scent or taste or sensation- interfering, just pure _oral indulgence_. And since Will didn't seem to have a response, was just staring down at him, Hannibal exhaled hotly against Will's thickening cock before closing his eyes and parting his lips again.

Keeping his mouth loose, wide and his tongue wet, he took Will in again, as much as he could. The weight of Will's sex settled against his tongue; heavy and hot, gliding back and forth with every steady bob of his head, the smooth blunt head grazing and _wetting_ the back of his throat, the length, ridged, smooth and sticky with spit and pre-come sliding across and over his gradually swelling, stretched lips, the substantial girth of the younger man's cock creating the beginning of a uniquely satisfying ache that came with eagerly –hungrily- performed oral sex.

And the sounds, breathy and raw and short, that fell from Will's pretty mouth only egged him on to suck harder, had him gripping Will's naked waist and hips possessively, had him breathing deeply, harshly through his nose, purposely collecting saliva in excess for a smoother sucking motion, speeding up his movements, encouraging Will to fuck his mouth…

…but Will did not.

And perhaps that was a part of their fine, unpredictable and one of a kind power balance.

Hannibal could take more from Will, but he didn't, and the same exact thing stood for Will, but he also did not, even though they both could, and it would be accepted and forgiven, even welcomed in some instances. Yet, still, they gave, they no longer just took, and that was important, it was monumental, it was emotional.

"Hannibal… **uuh** , Ch- christ…" Will exhaled breathily, his hips jerking forward once as his fingers carded through Hannibal's hair with a sudden need to touch and grasp, sliding down to the back of Hannibal's neck as another moan left Will's mouth in a tense rush. Hannibal didn't let up, he moved faster, sucked hard, steadied his balance on his knees as he felt Will place hands on his shoulders, the brunet leaning his weight on him as his legs began to weaken with the constant rush of pleasure he was experiencing.

Pleasure; that was all Hannibal wanted Will to be aware of during sex. Was that so bad?

Wanting Will to revel in pleasure, drown in it, thrive in it, writhe and lose himself in it, to crave it and take it and expect it and anticipate it...just picturing Will so immersed in sexual sensation and _only that_ had Hannibal's cock straining in his expensive pants.

In the end, it only took a few minutes in total, the living room filled with the wet sounds of sucking, the fire place, crackling, Hannibal's concentrated breathing and Will's moans, and then Will was coming with an uneven, almost aching moan which was hindered by rushes of breath and his efforts to seal his lips together to stem the sounds.

Hannibal, for his part, was terribly, hedonistically pleased that Will gave him no warning, that the younger man was able to let go that way without hesitation, and he sucked hard and shallower for the five or so jets of warm, bitter come that Will released into his mouth, swallowing it with ravenous satisfaction.

It was absolutely worth it too, tasting it, smelling it, feeling it, every sensation immediately catalogued and stored permanently in his memory palace.

By the time Will was coming down from orgasming, standing partially bent over with his hands clutching into the material of Hannibal's dress shirt, Hannibal was done mentally storing each tangible thing about the experience. He then let the younger man's softening, sticky cock slip from his mouth, following through by leaning in with a deep appreciative inhale right against the thick thatch of Will's sweat and hormone scent laced pubic hair.

It was a heady smell, almost dizzying with testosterone, Will's own musk and the palette and sinus clinging flavors of his sexual heat and virility. He stole kisses then, clinging, sucking kisses against the crease where Will's hip and thigh met, against the subtle curve of his lower stomach, and as he did this, tasting the salts of Will's skin and listening to the slowly evening state of his breaths, Hannibal thought about tasting _another_ intimate place of Will's.

The pleasure point that the younger man was yet to truly understand the sensitivity and erogenous qualities of…

His thoughts didn't get far though, since Will moved, still holding onto his shoulders as the younger man slowly sank down on to his knees to join Hannibal, his breathing having evened out but still loud in the quiet living room.

Once on his knees, pants still low on his hips, Will leaned forward so that his damp forehead rested against Hannibal's cheek and he closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Will leaning into him, of Will's flexing grip on his shirt.

Many seconds of silence passed, during which Hannibal shifted off his knees to sit on his buttocks, one leg bent inward and the other stretched out to the side of Will, and idly he moved his hands to the brunet's still outstretched arms, rubbing from his biceps down to his forearms slowly in a calming, soothing gesture. And when he dropped his hands to Will hips, gripping the hem of his pants and underwear to tuck the younger man away, he was surprised by Will leaning in and seeking Hannibal's mouth with his own.

The kiss was not tentative, their lips met in a sticky firm press just once before they shared an exhale as their lips parted and their tongues slid together into one another's mouths; Will's eyes closed all the while. They kissed a few times slowly, Hannibal only too happy to do so, but when Will drew back with a shaken exhale and opened his green-blue eyes to reveal indecision, Hannibal quickly sobered,

"What's wrong?" he asked gruffly, bringing a hand up to gently caress the side of Will's hair and face, swallowing softly and wondering if Will was still thinking about their earlier –technically unresolved – discussion.

Will swallowed too and licked his lips quickly before speaking,

"I…I can't…" he mumbled and Hannibal's heart almost literally stopped in his chest. He gently cradled the side of Will's face now, immediately ready to make compromises and promises and anything else that was needed to make the younger man take those words back, but Will continued before he could trip over his own desperation, "…I can't use my mouth." he breathed out inches from Hannibal's lips.

Hannibal's mouth hung open slightly for a few breathy seconds as he processed what Will had said, and then he smiled, closed his eyes briefly as the tension in his chest eased and he shook his head,

"I have no such expectation of you, Will." he said honestly, because he hadn't even been thinking of such a thing.

"You don't expect it, but you want it." Will responded quietly, making Hannibal's smile fall away as he met the younger man's half-lidded gaze and saw _knowing_ there. He sighed then, wetting his own dry lips,

"Will-…" he was going to offer some sort of placating statement about how if it never happened it wouldn't matter, but then Will's hands were at his crotch, undoing his belt buckle and Hannibal forgot how to use words.

When his belt fell open, the button popped, the zipper came down and Will breathed out,

"My hand…is that okay?" Hannibal couldn't even answer that question verbally, he was barely able to manage more than a dizzied nod, eyes already closing as he shifted to push his pants and briefs down below his erection at the same time as Will's fingers touched his lower abdomen and slid beneath the hem of his lowering briefs.

There was a moment of stillness between them when Will's hand, dry and warm, slightly rough and unsteady, loosely wrapped around his sex, and then Hannibal took in a shaken –overwhelmed- breath and Will tightened his hand. He stroked down and up tentatively, unsure of his touch, even as it moved Hannibal's sensitive foreskin just so; feeling impossibly good. Hannibal didn't even care that Will's touch was nervous and twitchy, Will was _touching_ his cock, and that was a **first**.

He leaned forward to press a kiss to Will's distractedly parted lips and then trailed kisses down Will's jaw as the younger man's stroking tightened and quickened just a bit, not moving in any particular rhythm but moving all the same. It was a bit like Hannibal imagined young teenagers fumbled through their first times touching another's body sexually, except Will knew what to do with his right hand and a cock, he just needed to get comfortable with doing it to someone other than himself.

Hannibal, ridiculously invested in the handjob already, was sucking lightly at the front of Will's adam's apple when the younger man's hand moved away, left him erect and bereft of touch. He muttered Will's name almost absently at the loss of contact, glancing down at himself and then looking at Will with a confused, dilated gaze.

Will was breathing softly but audibly, looking down at Hannibal's very hard, weeping erection, his mouth open as he breathed quietly, and he responded to his name with the quiet words,

"My hand is too dry, it can't feel very g-…."

Hannibal cut him off by taking his wrist in hand, and proceeding to do something that was about as indecorous as he could get, he brought Will's hand to his mouth where, because Will wasn't about to, he licked the open flat of Will's palm and up to his fingers three times, just to get it sufficiently damp.

He noted that Will's breath hitched when his warm tongue slicked his skin, and his hand had tensed, but if Will was looking for a way out of giving him a handjob, Hannibal wasn't going to make it so easy. He wanted Will to follow through. He _needed_ it.

He moved Will's hand down again, but didn't go so far as to force Will to touch him, he just left it there, between them, hovering above the general area of his crotch before he returned his attention to kissing Will's slightly slack mouth, slowly and not too deep, not roughly. He didn't want to overwhelm Will, or seem too desperate, he had to let Will see that what had happened between them a week earlier had made an impact on his physical impatience.

It took a few kisses before he felt Will's hand encircle his erection again, but it did, and Will was touching him again and it was only marginally less dry, but that time it didn't deter Will, much to Hannibal's relief…and pleasure.

And oh yes, the pleasure built as Will gained confidence, as he fell into the rhythm of masturbation, adjusting quite quickly to a different angle than when touching himself, it wasn't long before he was working his hand over Hannibal's cock in a steady, nicely tight and pleasurably alternating grip and twist that brought ample friction to his foreskin and glans and also spread his pre-come on every other stroke.

No longer dry at all.

Will had withdrawn from kissing after a little while, instead he'd shut his eyes and now had his face pressed into the side of Hannibal's neck. And Hannibal was swallowing moans, settling for grunts and hitched breaths and balancing his weight on his right arm, hand braced against the carpeted floor while his left was buried in Will's hair, holding the younger man's face to his neck where he grasped soft curls.

It wasn't an attractive or particularly romantic set up, sitting and kneeling awkwardly and uncomfortably on the floor, too close to the fire, sweating from the excess warmth as a result. And the room was filled with the sounds of breathing and tacky, sticky friction noises as Will jerked Hannibal off single-mindedly, focused entirely on the end-game; there was no skill or tenderness to it and it seemed more like a test for Will, just to see if he _could_.

Hannibal wasn't complaining, he was so close already anyway, from just the emotional stimulation of having _Will_ masturbating him.

So when Will's head shifted as if he was looking _down_ at what he was doing, and his touch briefly deviated so that he could slide his damp, hot hand down a little –curiously?- to where he only just caressed the weight of Hannibal's balls – ** _that_** _intimate voluntary touch_ \- before taking Hannibal's length in hand again and stroking up, on the next down and upward stroke Hannibal was coming.

He pressed his face into Will's hair as his breath rushed from him harshly, clenching his eyes shut and grasping tighter to the curls at Will's nape, hearing Will's own breathing pick up slightly as the younger man stroked him through it, several looser pumps of his hand, until Hannibal ceased ejaculating and was only left shaking lightly from his orgasm.

They didn't move for a while after, not until Hannibal felt Will extract his hand from the mess between them. Then he opened his eyes and let out a short exhaled laugh, disbelieving that he'd just gotten a handjob while sitting on their living room floor, wearing very expensive and now soiled clothes…he was over 50, surely he was too old for this?

And yet…he'd do it again.

He'd do it all again.

He was still grinning in disbelief as he slowly leaned back from Will, lowering himself to lie on the soft fur rug, eyes closing again as he reached down with both hands and pulled his pants up, tucking himself away –despite the sticky mess- but not fastening his pants. He was still riding the after waves of pleasure when he heard shuffling and he opened his eyes halfway, watching as Will tucked himself away one handed, holding his come-sticky right hand up, fingers spread in a rather obviously uncomfortable way, his movements tense.

And he didn't look happy; his head lowered, jaw clenching.

Hannibal's smile fell away along with most of his pleasant euphoria and he sat up quickly, capturing Will's right wrist in his hand a second time as he reached into his pants pocket for one of the handkerchiefs that he always had on him. Will tensed again, stilling with his left hand tucking his shirt into his pants as he looked at his suspended hand. They were quiet as Hannibal used the handkerchief to clean Will's hand, his palm and each finger, slowly, making sure he removed every bit of his seed that he could see, the scent of their mingled sexual smells a pleasant and rich scent, stronger where it had saturated Will's skin, a scent he would always savour.

When he was done and Will's hand was –superficially- clean, he pressed a warm, soft kiss to the very same palm.

At that point, Will looked at him and Hannibal met his eyes, seeing the awkward uncertainty there and wondering if perhaps it'd been his laugh that had made Will feel uncomfortable.

In an attempt to rectify the misstep he might have made, he offered some transparency,

"I hope you will excuse my present state," he was slightly breathless, speaking quietly against Will's warm palm, "I feel a bit amused with myself under the circumstances." he admitted, glancing to the side when Francesca –who had probably been watching them- began to scratch behind her ear.

Will glanced at her too, blinking awkwardly as if he'd just remembered she was there and was thinking of what she'd witnessed –as if it would bother or affect her. He didn't fuss though, rather he shifted to sit on his hip beside Hannibal and stretched his legs out with a relieved sigh as he focused his attention on Hannibal completely,

"I'm sure…" he laughed too now, although it was more self-deprecating than anything else, "…I don't imagine you've been party to a fumbled handjob before right now." he sighed and closed his eyes briefly, looking for all the world like he wanted to rub his temples in deeply tortured inspired circles.

Hannibal frowned at Will's behavior, but he knew that offering reassurance or compliments to Will's handjob abilities would not be a good idea, because that was not where the issue lied here. It wasn't about Will or how he'd handled his first given handjob, it was about not letting it be a negative experience for him when he looked back on it.

Seeing only one course of action, Hannibal smiled to lighten the weighted moment and he leaned forward to playfully kiss Will's cheek and ear –an affectionate gesture that came surprisingly naturally to him where Will was concerned-, and there he quietly tickled the younger man's ear with the words,

"I was referring to the fact," and when Will very slightly squirmed away with a laughing huff at the sensation of breath tickling his ear, Hannibal followed and kissed there again, "that having your hand on me was enough," and another kiss, "to get me off juvenilely fast." and then Will laughed more noticeably, that time at what he'd said, and Hannibal could feel the heat of the younger man's renewed blush against his lips and smell the rush of blood and calm that overcame Will. It had its own calming effect on Hannibal.

He drew back just to see if Will was smiling then and he wasn't disappointed, his own smile widening at seeing the brunet's gorgeous blushing, smiling face. Hannibal swallowed thickly, emotionally affected –again- as he took in the sight and he couldn't help saying,

"You're even more radiant when you smile, Will." quietly, intimately.

Will turned to look at him, eyes settling first on Hannibal's nose and then raising to meet his eyes, his smile becoming closed lipped but not dimming in the least,

"Christ, Hannibal…" he breathed out, seemingly similarly affected, and then his smile returned, the full force of it focused on Hannibal for a moment before Will leaned forward to close to the small space between them, initiating a kiss.

A kiss that started out chastely, one, two, three pecks and Will was smiling into it and so Hannibal couldn't help smiling too, heart racing faster –unusual for him-, mind racing and blurring with the simple and profound happiness he was experiencing. Their smiles faded when the kiss turned serious, their lips parting, tongues meeting and then Will was pressing hands to Hannibal's shoulders, pushing him backwards to lie down and the younger man shifted and settled his weight half atop Hannibal…and it was _excellent_.

They continued to kiss, just because they could, and it was only for a minute or so before Francesca jumped up to come over, snuffling and whining at their faces for attention. But Hannibal didn't even mind because even though the kiss ended, it was a good ending, with Will laughing as he pushed himself up to his knees, straddling Hannibal as he petted and hugged Francesca lovingly.

Hannibal just lied there, sprawled on the floor and staring up at Will, still smiling, and all he could think of was how real and perfect that moment was…

…how perfect Will was to him…and for him.


	4. It takes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I hope this suffices until the next time I get around to it T_T'  
> \- This is not beta-read, apologies for any errors. Please report them to me!  
> \- This story was inspired by Damien Rice's music, inspirational to the last.  
> \- I hope everyone enjoys and thank you for continuing to stick around!! <3

* * *

 

* * *

Despite the snow gradually melting, it was still January in northern Sweden, and that meant that the daytime temperatures were chilly and the evening temperatures were damn cold. As a result, it was snowing slightly on the particular early –but dark- evening that Hannibal was driving home from a long day of uneventful patient sessions, and on the familiar road home was where he spotted a single car driving ahead of him.

Switching his high-beams on to see better, he then drove faster until he was close enough to overtake –in the interest of seeing which person was taking the iced over countryside road that led out to the remote area where he and Will lived. But Hannibal flipped his turn signal on only to switch it off again, also switching his high-beams back to low as he eased up on the gas and fell back a short distance, because he realized that it was Will's Volvo driving ahead of him.

It surprised Hannibal to see Will's car, only because he hadn't known the younger man would be going out that day. That morning Will had –once again- decided not to go to work, saying he was going to spend the day with Francesca, and usually, if he decided to go anywhere during the course of the day, he'd call to let Hannibal know he was going out. It didn't bother Hannibal per se, that he hadn't let him know this time, because he'd long since stopped worrying over Will one day driving away and never returning. It was more a case of simple curiosity, and being that as it was, he kept his right hand steady on the steering wheel as he picked his cell phone up from the polished wood and leather console between the seats.

Glancing between the road ahead and his cell phone, Hannibal unlocked his screen and tapped his speed dial to call Will –who was listed under his alias name on the device-, and he put his phone to his ear, listening to it ring a few times before the call was picked up.

"Good evening, Will." Hannibal greeted with a small smile and a curiously cocked eyebrow.

"Hannibal," Will's voice came through loudly on speaker, "why are you calling right now?" he asked a bit tensely and Hannibal was momentarily confused by the abruptness and his tone.

"I'm driving behind you and was simply wondering where you'd been out to?" he kept his tone neutral, a little unsure of what to expect from Will.

He could hear Francesca bark once excitedly, presumably at the sound of his voice on the speaker, before Will responded to him,

"I know that, I can see you," Will said with a bit of a sigh and what sounded like –Hannibal thought hopefully – a smile on his face. And then his tone changed to exasperated, "and I also know that you don't have handsfree in your car, Hannibal…" of course not, such a modern contraption on the dash would ruin the aesthetic of the classic TVR, "…and it's _snowing_." Will said pointedly.

 _'_ _Oh.'_ Hannibal thought with raised eyebrows and an embarrassingly affectionate smile creeping onto his face, quickly reminded of that time when Will rather domestically scolded him for driving on the sleet and snow covered tarmac at high speeds, and now he was indirectly scolding him for not having both hands on the wheel and his full attention on the road.

"I see," because he did and he wasn't even bothered by the reprimand, finding he quite liked Will worrying about him, "I'll see you in a short while then." he said as a goodbye and hung up after he heard Will say ' _yeah'_ in response, placing his phone back in the console absently.

They drove for another few miles that way, Hannibal tailing behind Will at a more than safe distance –lest the brunet be angry at him for that too- and then Hannibal turned off the main road after Will, both cars traveling into a side road which led to where their house was.

Soon enough they were finally driving up their snowy driveway, waiting as their garage doors rolled up and then they parked inside the lit space on their respective sides of the double garage. Hannibal climbed out of his car just a moment after Will did, as he'd reached over to the passenger side to collect his leather work satchel and his phone. When he was standing to close his car door he realized that despite the closing garage doors, he could feel the somewhat biting cold of the evening, but he was too distracted to care much when he saw Will.

The younger man's body was covered in his long black coat, so Hannibal couldn't see his clothes beneath, but he immediately noticed the bottom of Will's pants –formal, dark blue- and his shoes –formal black oxfords-, his hair -washed, combed back- and his beard -newly and closely trimmed. The first question that popped into Hannibal's mind was _'Who did Will go to see?'_ because despite the coat hiding it, he was obviously dressed up in clothes he didn't often opt to wear if he could avoid it. But then Francesca jumped out of the backseat passenger door as Will opened it and Hannibal found he couldn't think of a scenario in which Will would go to see someone all dressed up and then take the dog with him.

As she was wont to do, Francesca trotted over to him happily, taking his thoughts and eyes away from the younger man as she snuffled at his gloved hands, tail wagging happily as she whined in greeting, tongue lolling between sniffing and whining.

Hannibal absently petted her head, not thinking much of his coat picking up her light hair as he watched Will lock up his car with nothing else in hand; not a bag, or a package or even Francesca's leash. Just his car keys and his cellphone.

Will turned to face him then, a half smile on his face as their gazes met,

"Hey, sorry about being short on the phone," he sounded sincere enough about it as he stepped closer around the front of his car, absently petting Francesca when she turned to get attention from his free hand, "it's just, uh…"

"No need to explain, I understand." Hannibal said honestly, smiling just so when Will nodded with a smile that was a little awkward.

The domesticity was still a bit strange for him too apparently, not just for Hannibal.

There was a beat of silence only filled by Francesca's claws clicking softly on the garage floor and the popping sounds of cooling engines and then Will cleared his throat as his ears pinkened –behaving oddly really- before he gestured to the garage house door,

"We should go in, it's pretty cold out." he suggested, already moving toward the door, whistling once for Francesca to follow. Hannibal followed too, arming the garage alarm on the wall beside the door and then switching the garage lights off before he followed Will through the door, closing it behind him and ascending the staircase to the main floor of the house.

Feeling an annoying sense of disquiet over Will's strange behavior, Hannibal was almost too distracted at first to notice the scent of baked goods permeating the air, but by the time he'd walked the length of the hall and entered the living room, the rich and cloying scent of dark chocolate and sugar was distinct and palpable.

Further confused, Hannibal made his way through the living room, setting his satchel down on the nearest couch against the arm rest -next to where Will had tossed his coat-, and as he began unbuttoning his own coat he walked into the passage leading to the kitchen, glancing at Francesca who ran by excitedly carrying a chew toy in her mouth.

It was when he entered the kitchen that he actually faltered in his steps, pausing in the doorway to take in the sight of Will standing at the large island counter, the full extent of his outfit revealed now that he was no longer wearing the coat…and he looked good enough to _eat_ -Hannibal not even thinking of it in the culinary sense.

He forgot all about the smell of baked goods as he walked further into the kitchen, looking over the sight of Will in one of his rarely worn custom fitted suits; a midnight blue merino wool suit, the jacket of which was worn open over a black cotton shirt, sans the tie and open at the collar. And with each step nearer, Hannibal smelled showered skin, faint hair product and expensive complementing cologne.

Will was indeed dressed up, spruced up…but why? Just for Hannibal?

A few feet away and still approaching, Hannibal raised a curious eyebrow,

"Will, what-…"

Will cut him off with a raised hand and then gestured to the covered silver cake stand and chilled wine bucket set on the counter, which Hannibal had only subconsciously noticed when he entered,

"Keep in mind that I am no expert," Will was smiling, ears still a bit pink, "but I made it myself and I tried my best."

Hannibal had come to stand beside Will at the counter just when the younger man lifted the tray cover off to reveal…a six inch circumference, dark chocolate dessert cake, with chocolate shavings artfully decorating the edge and in the center was a single white and gold letter 'H' _birthday_ candle.

Hannibal blinked, his mind blanking momentarily as he tried to determine if he'd ever told Will his birthdate.

He didn't think he had mind you…so how…?

His silence and frown prompted Will to speak,

"It's, uh, kind of cheesy, I know." he cleared his throat and then turned to lift the wine bottle out of the bucket, revealing an expensive wine, and Hannibal looked from the bottle to him with a quick glance, "I also selected a wine, uh, the internet said cabernet sauvignon was a good choice for chocolate dessert." he hesitated with a skeptical look and then set the bottle back into the bucket amidst the ice before he added, "and I made Devil's Food cake," he huffed a laugh, becoming more awkward by the second, "still cheesy, but I liked the way it sounded because…uh, you know, you are, uh…" he paused, cleared his throat again softly and then he sighed, apparently done trying to explain himself, rather just giving up with a shrug and averted gaze.

Hannibal watched all of this curiously, because to be honest, he was _thrown_. His birthday, as it were, was not a day in the year he'd _ever_ given consideration to, let alone had celebrated in any way. On Will's birthday though, he'd usually make Will's favourite foods and purchase him a small gift each year, little things that weren't outrageously expensive or ridiculously cheap but that Will liked and would use, such as the TAG Heuer watch he always wore, the new Apple laptop he'd bought another year, and the black peccary leather cashmere lined gloves for his most recent birthday. It was always about Will's birthday because Hannibal loved having an excuse to spoil the younger man.

In the first year they'd lived together, when Hannibal had gifted him the watch, Will _had_ asked when Hannibal's birthday was, and he'd brushed it off at the time, telling Will that perhaps one day he'd share that information if the circumstances made it necessary. He never had though, and Will had never asked again. So this…

This was very, very unexpected.

The silence that had once again lapsed was too much that time, because Will sighed a little louder and gestured to the cake and wine,

"You don't…is it," he sighed again, "it's stupid, you don't like it." he seemed to decide on his own, his fair lips pinched thinly as he reached for the cover of the cake stand to replace it, but Hannibal stopped him by moving a little closer and placing a light hand on Will's upper arm to stop him from picking up the cover.

He was close enough now that when they looked at each other there were only a few intimate inches between them; their faces and chests and the length of their bodies. Will looked straight at him without avoiding, his eyes darker –from perceived rejection or resulting anger, Hannibal didn't know- but they were still stunning, dark blue-green lined by contrasting black lashes and pale eyelids.

"I like it," he said sincerely and then slid his hand down Will's arm to take the brunet's hand from the cover handle, curling his fingers around Will's and bringing their joined hands between them, "I find however, that the sentiment behind it is what has affected me most." at his admission, Will's hand squeezed his slightly and Hannibal decided to go ahead and ask, "Especially since I don't believe I ever told you the date on which I was born?" and it was a question, even if he'd phrased it otherwise.

Will raised his eyebrows, snorting softly as he licked his lips and glanced at the cake and wine again,

"No, you _didn't_ ," he agreed, "it was almost like you were hiding that you were some kind of immortal being." and while it was said with mirth, Hannibal didn't miss the momentary frown that crossed Will's brow before the younger man shrugged it off and looked at him again and explained, "I came across the information by accident actually." he confessed as he gently extracted his hand from Hannibal's, walking over to the cupboard that held the wine glasses.

"Oh?" Hannibal prompted further explanation as he proceeded to shrug off his coat, preparing himself for birthday cake and wine…a true first for him, watching Will all the while as the younger man retrieved the glasses and then returned to stand beside him, setting the glasses down on the counter by the bucket.

"Hm, it's taken a long time, but information about you from Lithuania's official records have finally been uncovered," he raised his eyebrows as he smiled slightly, seemingly amused, "and for the last few months or so there have been articles popping up in the more unsavory parts of the net about the 'Cannibal Count of Lithuania'," Will quipped, stepping back to open a drawer of the island counter, taking the candle lighter out before pushing the drawer closed again, "eventually even Freddy wrote about it." he set the lighter down beside the cake and stepped over to the knife block, selecting the correct knife for cutting the cake and looking at his reflection in it for a moment, "That information leak is responsible for my discovery of your exact birthdate," he flipped the knife in his hand, walking over and holding it out handle first to Hannibal, "and the subsequent planning of…this." he glanced at the cake and wine and then looked back at Hannibal with a small half-smile.

Whilst listening, Hannibal had folded his coat and removed his suit jacket, setting them both over the back of the nearest island chair, and he had just finished unbuttoning and folding back the gray sleeves of his shirt when he took the knife from Will.

"I see." he really didn't though, wondering how he'd missed Freddy Lounds' article on such a thing. He knew he didn't spend quite as much time checking her website as he'd used to, but surely he'd have seen _that_. Perhaps the headline hadn't caught his attention?

"Despite all of my planning though," Will went on when Hannibal found nothing more to say, still thrown off by the whole thing, "I forgot to buy candles, hence the last minute trip out to the city." Hannibal smiled at the confession, seeing as now Will's evening drive made sense to him. And when he looked curiously at the 'H' adorning the cake, his amusement must have come across obviously because Will grinned a little sheepishly and huffed a small laugh, drawing Hannibal's attention back to him, "My options were limited considering my last minute timing, so this was the best I could do." he picked up the lighter, "You get the 'H', and the other twelve letters are in the trash." he clicked the button to spark the flame and Hannibal watched firelight glow against Will's chin, cheeks and in his eyes as he lit the candle.

He switched it off again, setting it aside once the candle was burning before he proceeded to make Hannibal's breath catch in his chest when he leaned in and up and pressed their lips together, soft and comfortably and with such a simple sweetness. And then Will drew back for a second to whisper against his lips,

"Happy birthday, Hannibal." before kissing him again, firmer, Will's lovely mouth puckered and warm and their kiss a lingering touch of lips on lips, their quiet breaths mingling and Hannibal's heart thumping unreasonably loud in his own ears at the tenderness and thoughtfulness of the moment.

It was that damn cheap bottle of wine from years ago all over again, wreaking havoc with his feelings.

When Will drew back again, their eyes opened slowly at the same time, half-lidded, Hannibal feeling caught in a moment he couldn't even have imagined himself in within his most vivid mind palace rooms.

Will smiled fondly at him after a beat of silence and then added to the moment by saying,  
"Make a wish, it can be anything you want." in a comfortably teasing tone and with a cheeky cocked eyebrow.

And Hannibal couldn't help but to say,  
"What else could I possibly want, Will," he leaned in and stole another quick kiss, smiling as he said, "when I have you." and he wasn't teasing at all.

Will knew he meant it too, he clearly felt the depth, sincerity and the intensity of Hannibal's words, because for a moment his smile faltered and he swallowed thickly. But Hannibal's honesty didn't ruin the mood at least, since Will didn't seem quite so overwhelmed as he usually was by Hannibal's candidness, instead he surprised Hannibal with another teasing response,

"Well, wish for something you don't already have, Hannibal," they both smiled at his purposely deadpan tone, "and then blow out the candle." he finished, stepping back a bit to give Hannibal room to do as instructed.

Hannibal inclined his head in acquiescence, and after a final lingering look over the exceptional sight that was Will Graham, he turned his attention to the silly melting 'H' candle and gave it a pensive look. Of course, to really make a wish would be ridiculous, the very idea even…but, while it was pointless, it also wouldn't hurt.

So he made a wish in his mind, silly though it was, and then he leaned down to neatly blow out the single candle. When he stood back up, he glanced at Will, smiling -genuinely happy and amused- with the evening's pleasant turn of events. He continued to smile as he raised the knife he still held and slid it into the dessert cake to make the first cut, and a moment later when he'd cut the first piece, Will popped the wine cork and half-filled their two glasses.

Will stood close by, just there, as Hannibal used the cake server to lift the large slice, setting it on one of the two stacked side plates that had already been set out, along with two cake forks. Hannibal then took the proffered wine glass from the younger man and he and Will clinked them gently together before they each took a sip.

"Thank you, Will." Hannibal said after he'd swallowed his sip of the extra-dry dessert wine.

Will smiled against the rim of his glass and nodded in that somewhat uncertain way of his, before he looked at the cake and changed the subject,

"Don't thank me yet, you haven't tasted the cake." he joked.

Hannibal just smiled back –smiling being something Will effortlessly inspired him, just as easily as anxiousness mind you-, and he set his glass down to take up a fork, carving a bite sized mouthful off the pointed tip of the slice before bringing it to his mouth.

Will took another sip of his wine as Hannibal chewed, and he didn't rush his assessment, since he knew Will would know if he just flat out lied, so he let the chocolate linger and settle on his tongue, chewed the cake piece until it melted before he swallowed, and then finally he neatly licked the remaining traces off his lips and said honestly,

"A few more tries and you will have mastered it." just as Will had mastered several dishes quite quickly since they'd been living together. He wasn't even lying; it was a bit too sweet, as homemade cakes often wound up, and it could have been moister, the icing needed some work too, but it was still entirely edible by Hannibal's standards.

"What is it? Too sweet?" Will asked with a slight grimace and Hannibal just smirked and tipped his head as he took up another piece of cake on the fork, "Damn, I knew it would be." Will griped and sipped his wine again, watching Hannibal bring the fork up again, "You don't have to eat it, you know." he laughed softly.

But Hannibal didn't bring the fork to his own mouth, instead he raised it for Will to eat from, not too close to his face since that would be impolite, but enough for Will to get the gist of what he wanted.

Hannibal didn't know what he was expecting, he hadn't really thought it through aside from wanting Will to taste his own creation, and whereas before they'd become intimate he'd been hyperaware of the boundaries between them, now, certain actions just came almost naturally. This was something he'd even done with Alana on occasion, and lovers before her, sharing food, sharing utensils, feeding each other.

Unbidden, the image of Will feeding his wife cake on their wedding day came to his mind, followed by the follow-up image of her doing the same for Will and it absolutely soured the moment for him, leaving him tenser than a second before and unable to appreciate Will's tentative but still affectionate smile as the younger man leaned forward and parted his lips over the forkful before neatly pursing them and sliding the cake off the fork and into his mouth.

Hannibal was only grateful that the brunet didn't seem to notice the moment of silent jealous fury that had bubbled up in him at the –likely- imaginings of him and his ex-wife.

"Wow, it's actually not bad." Will said with raised eyebrows as he chewed a few times and then swallowed, licking cake crumbs off his lips after. Hannibal just smiled, close lipped and a bit flat as he nodded his agreement.

Will still seemed oblivious to his lapse in mood as he set his glass down, announcing that he had a present for him. Hannibal was honestly relieved that he hadn't noticed, because he didn't want to ruin the moment that Will had gone through the sentimental effort of giving him over something that was so _inferior_ to what they shared.

The younger man had walked over to the far side of the island counter and he leaned down to open a cupboard, standing up again and returning to Hannibal's side with a black and red gift wrapped, book-size box in hand.

He leaned his hip against the counter as he held it out to Hannibal, who took it with another nod of thanks, feeling that it weighed less than a book as he looked over the expertly tied gift ribbon.

It seemed that Will had had the gift professionally wrapped.

Pushing aside his previously negative thoughts, Hannibal turned to face the counter and set the box down on an open space on the counter beside the cake, where he carefully untied the expensive red ribbon.

As he neatly pulled back the tape on the underside, Will filled in the silence,

"I wracked my brain wondering what to get you, so it's not much…or special or anything, just practical." he shifted beside Hannibal, folding his arms across his chest as he watched Hannibal open the wrapping, revealing the boxed gift inside.

"An iPad." Hannibal smiled, seeing exactly how Will had drawn the conclusion to get him this, and liking the simplicity of it as well as liking the sleek Apple model that was a little bigger than his current ten inch model.

"iPad Pro, the latest one," Will quickly explained, "I had to order it in since the tech shops around here are not exactly stocking the latest stuff, so it took a few weeks…but, yeah," he stepped closer to look at the box as Hannibal turned it over to read the specs himself, "your current one is a few models outdated, I figured you could use an upgrade."

There was a warmth that filled Hannibal's chest as he'd listened to Will explain that he'd been planning this little birthday surprise for a while, having even ordered a gift for it.

He swallowed down a lump of –recently more- familiar emotion and set the box down on the counter so he could turn to face Will, smiling at the younger man earnestly as he regarded him,

"Thank you, Will, for everything." he took a quiet and deep breath and leaned forward to press a kiss to Will's forehead, closing his eyes as he swallowed against the stubborn lump in his throat, "I will never forget this." and he meant it. So small a thing and yet it meant **so** much.

Will huffed a small laugh and Hannibal felt the warmth in his chest swell when the younger man slid his arms around his waist and leaned into him,

"I'll do better next year." he said with casual nonchalance, as if those words hadn't just promised Hannibal another year of them being together.

Feeling overwhelmed, but not letting it control him, Hannibal took another breath and drew back to dip his head, Will tipping his own back just so, so that he could press a softly smiling kiss to the younger man's lips.

The kiss lingered, their lips meshed together warmly, and then after a moment and two separate breaths, their lips parted and Hannibal slid his tongue with sensual ease into Will's mouth to claim his own as he brought his arms up to loosely encircle Will's shoulders.

The kiss deepened and lasted and lasted, the cake, wine and gift forgotten as Hannibal tasted sweet chocolate and bitter sauvignon in Will's warm, generous kisses, their mouths parting wide and sealing slowly against one another's with each slide of their tongues and exchanging of breaths.

And then Will drew back, lips kiss swollen and eyes half-lidded as he asked in a slightly husky tone,

"Birthday sex?"

Hannibal couldn't even help the low, aroused growling sound that emitted from deep in his throat at those words coming from Will; wanting, desiring, confident, comfortable, sexually aroused Will.

But as he pressed his face into Will's neck to scent the desire from the surface of his skin, Hannibal was once again struck with unwanted thoughts of Will and his ex-wife…having **_birthday sex_** _,_ as would a conventional couple doing conventional couple things like that every year, every month for others, maybe some things every week…like the date nights some of his very boring patients spoke about.

He was so tempted to push Will away, to shut down, to show his anger and resentment over past mistakes that still hurt, just like Will had done for so _many_ years...but that would be another mistake.

And at some point, making the same mistakes ceased to actually be mistakes, and they just became intentional.

Hannibal had no _intention_ to ever hurt Will again if he could help it.

The past was done.

When he asked himself _where the difference between his past and future comes from_ , his answer was before Will and after Will…and for Will. It sometimes took a lot to remind him that everything didn't need to be so difficult, didn't need to be a riddle or a complication. And he especially needed to remind himself that the very fact that Will was even _offering_ him birthday sex was an impossibility made real.

So letting all of his subconscious thoughts be buried completely, Hannibal parted his lips and kissed at the side of Will's neck as he slowly moved up again, inhaling and exhaling softly as he trailed his lips and nose over Will's cheek to his slightly parted lips, closing his eyes as he took the younger man's mouth in another open, tongue seeking kiss. And with a short breath, Will obliged the kiss, his hands grasping at Hannibal's waist just when Hannibal's hands came up and slid into his warm, smooth curls.

Hannibal didn't think for once about what he should and shouldn't do, he just held Will and got lost in the kiss, rough and wet and deep. He mentally ran through the options for sex in the kitchen, but quickly came up short of sanitary and safe ideas for lube. And still engrossed in kissing Will, he was waiting for a moment he could bring himself to draw away –from Will's tempting mouth- in order to move things upstairs to the bedroom, when he felt a tug at his belt, and just like that Will was opening his pants and the location, as it were, would have to do.

Hannibal left Will to unfasten his belt and pants, his arms lowering from around the brunet before coming up again with his hands easily sliding under the shoulders of Will's suit jacket to remove it. The kiss severed briefly with a soft smack and noisy breathing as Will left Hannibal's pants unfastened and shrugged off his jacket, and in the meantime Hannibal started quickly, with deft fingers, on opening Will's shirt buttons.

Will's hands returned to Hannibal's waist quickly –and shaking ever so lightly as they tended to in moments like these-, his fingers sliding inside of and lightly gripping the hems of Hannibal's pants and underwear before he pushed them down together, Hannibal using one hand to finish Will's buttons as his other assisted Will in removing his clothes carefully over his already almost fully hardened erection. Their hands –Will's trembling and Hannibal's steady- had been flowing from movement to movement smoothly, but Hannibal was caught completely off guard when Will's hands pressed against his chest and pushed him back firmly so that he was leaning against the island counter.

Hannibal watched Will with a dilated but sharp gaze then, because the younger man was taking charge and it was as appealing and intriguing as everything else Will did. Will proceeded to pull his own shirt off completely, tugging at it where it got stuck inside the waist of his pants and before it even landed on the floor Will came at him.

Quite right, that's what he did.

Hannibal found the younger man plastered against him flush from their chests down to their clothed thighs, his freed cock pressed to the smooth, firm skin of Will's stomach while Will's still clothed erection pressed against his own lower abdomen. Will's hands were firmly set, one on his shoulder and the other grasping the side of his neck as the brunet kissed him with a generosity and hunger that Hannibal hadn't experienced from him before.

And Hannibal kissed back with equal fervor, but he didn't seek to dominate the kiss, he let Will do that, he wanted Will to find himself in this, in sex, he wanted things to settle as they would and should, without his influence.

He touched though, his hands moving slowly in light grasps through Will's hair, down over his shoulders and the subtle, masculine lines of his flanks, enjoying the way Will was lightly pressing their groins together as they kissed.

And then he allowed himself an audible and pleased groan when Will drew back from the kiss with Hannibal's lower lip between his teeth.

He was terribly curious and eager to know where it was going, so he didn't keep his eyes closed for a second too long, meeting Will's bold gaze and matching his slow grin at close proximity, only sliding his gaze to the side when Will's hand came up into view…holding a bottle of their usual lubricant.

He didn't dare ask any of the one hundred questions that quickly shot through his mind at the sight of the lube and the fact that Will had it on hand, instead he let Will see how relaxed he was, leaning back against the counter waiting for whatever came next.

Will's grin became a pleased smile and he quickly unscrewed the cap of the lube, dropping the lid on the counter and quickly squeezing some into his right hand palm before losing the bottle on the counter behind Hannibal too.

The younger man then used his left hand to shove Hannibal's pants and underwear down so that they slid down his thighs completely, pooling around his ankles and on his shining oxfords.

He was then, in essence, completely naked where Will was still primarily clothed.

It was vulnerable and obscene for him, being that way, something Hannibal had never allowed himself to be subjected to before; but he allowed it now, he _wanted_ it now.

Will leaned forward, the angle of Hannibal's body leaning against the counter removing their slight height difference, and he initiated another kiss, the curls loosening over his forehead mingling with Hannibal's own disheveled hair and tickling the sweated skin of his forehead as their noses, lips and tongues slid together…and Will, with a warm hand sticky with lube, once again caught Hannibal off guard when he wrapped his palm and fingers around Hannibal's straining cock, squeezed and twisted.

Hannibal shivered bodily, he physically couldn't help it for how good it felt, his eyes snapping open a second later as Will smiled into their kiss, the younger man absolutely gorgeous and looking _oh_ so cheeky as he drew back and trailed a slow, half-lidded gaze over Hannibal's face before stroking Hannibal again, slow and tight from base to tip. And when Hannibal exhaled a breath and he tensed up to stop another shiver wracking through him, the younger man raised his eyebrows, making him look almost innocent when he said,

"This time I'm going to do it right." in a rough, breathy tone, still smiling.

Needless to say, Hannibal was floored.

But only for a second, before Will started stroking him again, properly, and his thoughts scattered, auburn eyes closing almost with a flutter as his mouth fell open a little ways and his breathing intensified.

Will didn't relent, Will held and stroked, steadily, building a sweet, hot rhythm with every slide and squelch of his hand,

"Will-…" Hannibal allowed himself to let go, to let Will hear the tremor and strain in his voice as his mouth fell open further, breath shaking as his head tipped back, every muscle in his lean body tensing as the pleasure built rapidly in his lower abdomen, tightening his balls and making him leak from the head of his cock, where it merged with the lube on Will's hand which twisted and slid, squeezed and jerked just right.

_Will's hand, Will's touch…Will…_

If that wasn't enough, the younger man started to mouth and kiss at Hannibal's exposed throat with wide sucks and slightly exerted breath, and then his left hand gently but pointedly moved between Hannibal's legs to test the weight of his tightened scrotum before Will was handling it in his palm, rolling his balls lightly.

It felt beyond amazing, better than anytime anyone had ever touched him _ever_ , his body tensing and twitching along with his breath catching. In the end though, what it took to bring him over the edge was the tentative, very slight flick of Will's tongue over his right nipple, jarring his orgasm from him with a new intensity, making him come hard between them, all over Will's still –trembling- and pumping hand.

Will made a sound –quiet, tense, choked- and Hannibal, mostly blind with pleasure, took Will's face in his hands and brought him into a breath stilting, hard, sucking kiss, making Will's hand stroke unconsciously faster as the last of Hannibal's orgasm washed over him.

The movements ended when the kiss ended, with a squelch and a smack of lips and then there was just their breathing, Hannibal dipping his head enough to rest his forehead against Will's shoulder as he exhaled over the damp skin there, eyes still closed and body warm and momentarily weak.

Because he allowed himself to be, he'd let go of his alertness, of his concerns, and had just let it play out.

Will caught his breath before Hannibal, having not been wrung out from orgasm, and it was with warm, affectionate mirth that he said,

"Happy birthday." in a husky voice, right against the shell of Hannibal's ear.

It made Hannibal grin with terrible fondness and chuckle softly against the younger man's skin, his arms encircling Will's waist and bringing him forward into a tight, close hug, almost without thought, as Hannibal began to tease kisses and little bites up along the column of Will's neck.

His actions made the younger man huff a soft laugh, Will relaxing beautifully into his embrace, leaning his weight against him, keeping his soiled hand held aloft and to the side while the other was open flat on the counter behind them, the brunet pressing a new smile into the muscle of Hannibal's shoulder as his neck and jaw were given the attention of Hannibal's mouth.

Hannibal's gradual kisses eventually led to Will raising and turning his head just as Hannibal's mouth was near enough, and they fell into a sensual and deep kiss which lasted a long, perfect minute. And all the while, Hannibal was not unaware of the hardness of Will's erection still confined in his pants, pressed between them.

Hannibal found, when he thought about giving Will pleasure, that he didn't want to take back what he'd offered previously; i.e. whatever felt right to Will, even despite having always been a selfish narcissist who clung to his own preferences and tastes.

So he brought the kiss to an easy, slow end, bringing his arms from around Will's waist to rest his hands on the brunet's narrow bare hips, making sure he had Will's attention, blue eyes on red, before he asked with absolutely openness and sincerity,

"What do you want, Will?" in a quiet, intimate voice, their lips brushing and sticking as they breathed and swallowed in the silence of the kitchen, the silence that was soon interrupted by the clinking of Will's belt buckle as Hannibal unfastened it slowly, in a way that was not rushed, but rather, suggestive and encouraging. Hannibal knew that Will would recognize the question as being about more than just right then, Will would recognize that anything was on the table now, that Hannibal was letting him choose.

And choose he would; the brunet's understanding showing in the sudden contraction of his pupils, before they rapidly dilated again and Will smirked, a twitchy movement of his lips that would unsettle anyone else, where it only intrigued and further interested Hannibal.

Moth to the flame. Shark to blood. Hannibal to Will.

"Tell me." Hannibal insisted softly, kissing Will once briefly, lightly, as he finally had Will's pants undone completely. "Tell me wh-…"

"What I want?" Will finished, voice quiet and far steadier than Hannibal's in that moment.

Hannibal just nodded, running his tongue between the jagged line of his sharp teeth as he watched Will's face intently, waiting for a word, for a decision…an instruction.

Will's grin became a smile before it eased again, into a sharp line of teeth, a twisted and honest grin followed by and exhale through his nose,

"I want your mouth." he whispered, "I want to **use** your _dangerous_ mouth."

His choice of words shook Hannibal, fresh arousal erupting molten hot from right inside his core. And even though he knew what Will meant, he recklessly asked,

"Anywhere…" he rasped out, smiling with the same dangerous teeth Will found enticing, "…where do you want my mouth?" he leaned in and they kissed again, brief and hard, lips sticking and sealing before Will drew back and narrowed his eyes at Hannibal.

Again, they both knew what Hannibal meant, what he wanted to do to Will, where he wanted to put his mouth, his teeth, his tongue…

It was probably a lucky thing that Will was thinking with his dick right then, or Hannibal might have regretted such a bold offer made in the face a formerly heterosexual man still coming to grips with having sex with another man, but as it were, it wasn't enough to distract Will from what he wanted.

Yes, he _wanted_. And Hannibal doubted the truth of it would ever stop amazing him.

In answer to Hannibal, Will placed his clean hand on Hannibal's shoulder, leaned forward and kissed him once, slow and with just enough tongue to tease, before he put pressure downwards, pushing Hannibal so he'd know to get down on his knees…and **that** , that boldness, that demandingness, that confidence from Will, and Will _alone_ , would have made Hannibal hard all over again had his refractory period been at its peak.

As it were, his blood rushed and heated ambitiously and he bared his teeth unconsciously, knowing he'd get hard again soon, and again and again in future if this new dynamic remained and flourished between them.

He wanted Will to take what he wanted.

So he went down to his knees, happy to do it, and reaching up he drew Will's pants and underwear down, mindful of his flushed and hard cock, before letting the garments slide down Will's legs. It wasn't so large a space between the island counter and the one behind Will, and so grabbing the brunet's hips in a firm grasp, Hannibal pushed Will backwards two shuffled steps as he moved forward on his knees. And when the younger man was leaning back against the counter Hannibal moved forward, and opening his mouth wide he took Will's cock between his lips, squeezing light bruises into the younger man's naked hips as he _sucked_.

Will moaned, it wasn't loud but it wasn't soft either, and very quickly his soiled hand slid into and gripped just the right side of tightly in Hannibal's hair, while with his other hand he absently sought purchase on the countertop as he arched his hips. Hannibal looked upwards as he drew off to pant heatedly over the head of Will's erection, watching as the younger man's mouth fell open when he swallowed Will's cock again, the younger man's neck bared as his head fell back, exhaling long and shaken, his eyes sliding closed and clenching shut.

For the next few minutes it was a concentrated experience of giving pleasure to Will, the kitchen once again filled with deep, erratic breathing, stilted moans and obscene slick and squelching sounds. The momentum built up, Hannibal sliding, caressing and gripping at Will's skin, over his sides, hips and thighs, down to his calves and back up again, mouth constantly working, getting wetter and wetter, jaw aching as he bobbed his head and took Will into his mouth as deeply as he could with each pass of the erect flesh between his reddened, swelling lips.

Will moaned and it trailed off into a low hum, a sound Hannibal had come to identify as Will being overwhelmed with good sensation, impending orgasm approaching fast. The younger man's hips had been twitching forward every so often during Hannibal's fellatio, but now, as his breathing heightened and he clenched his teeth as well as his hand in Hannibal's hair, he tested Hannibal's gag reflex by pressing forward, filling Hannibal's throat with the smooth, engorged head of his cock.

And it was really good…for both of them, Hannibal encouraging Will to do it again by humming as the brunet drew back just so, sucking harder and sliding his hands over the lines of Will's Adonis belt without any applied pressure, just to feel, as he deep-throated Will as an example to show how deep he could go if he wanted to.

Will's breath stuttered harshly then, but when Hannibal glanced up again Will was looking down at him, and he smiled, a soft endearing slant of his kiss swollen lips, before he grasped both of his hands in Hannibal's hair, maintaining half-lidded eye contact, and he began to thrust his hips forward gently, sliding his cock good and deep into Hannibal's waiting, sucking hot mouth.

The next thrusts followed in the same way and both of their eyes fell shut as Will moved again and again, setting his own slow rhythm of fucking Hannibal's mouth, his breathing becoming solely open-mouthed, loud and uneven, while Hannibal concentrated on breathing steadily through his nose, keeping his lips pursed over his teeth and his mouth nicely wet.

It was an intense minute that followed; hands in hair and on naked skin, caressing and teasing, fondling nipples, thighs, between legs and feeling over firm muscle, neck and shoulders, touching and grasping and sucking and humming, panting, aborted moans and husky groans, trembling legs, aching jaw, wet, swollen lips, clenched eyes, sore knees, flushed skin, dripping sweat, so much heat and the pace rising and rising and increasing…

Will came without warning and with a shuddering, wavering moan, his hips faltering in rhythm as he ejaculated into Hannibal's mouth with complete abandon, his own mouth hanging open, his head tipped back and his hands gripping two handfuls of silky straight hair, unconsciously holding Hannibal in place as he climaxed.

And Hannibal opened his throat eagerly, breathed through it and swallowed every drop of Will's thick, familiarly flavoured come, closing his eyes as he palmed at his own heavy and interested, but still flaccid, cock and underneath his aching balls. While his other hand slowly splayed against Will's lower abdomen, his thumb and forefinger bracketing the base of Will's cock to ease the motion of the younger man's hips as his release tapered off, leaving behind only sensitive twitches of his swollen length on Hannibal's tongue.

After a further moment, Hannibal let Will's softening erection slip from his mouth with a final sensual suck, and as he placed his hands on the backs of Will's trembling thighs, he followed up the oral sex with kitten licks to the younger man's lower abdomen, savouring the salts and other flavours of the younger man's hot skin, his tongue lapping at sheening sweat and scraping softly through body hair.

Will was still panting as he untangled his hands from Hannibal's hair to hold onto the countertop edge on either side of himself, a soft curse falling from his lips –as it often happened while he came down from an orgasm-, before he rolled his head down to look at Hannibal, who had been waiting to see those gorgeous eyes and sated expression on the younger man's face as he pseudo-groomed him.

He sat back on his legs then, ignoring the hard tiles under his knees as he hunched forward just enough to kiss and nip a little bite against the soft skin of Will's inner thigh, causing the brunet to twitch and grab Hannibal's hair again, pulling him back and holding him there, just shy of being able to touch Will with his eager mouth and teeth.

Hannibal looked up at Will, a sharp smile stealing across his face when he saw Will smirking down at him, and then Will lowered himself to join Hannibal, their knees knocking for a moment in the space that was insufficient for two grown men to be fooling around in, both of them grinning and huffing quiet –but too loud in the silent house- laughs as Will half fell and half sat on the tiles to the left of Hannibal, shifting until he could lean back against the opposite counter, his hand reaching out for Hannibal's shoulder to pull him backwards as well.

It was bizarre how the situation settled with such natural actions and comfort; Hannibal leaning back, unfolding his legs as he rested against the counter, leaning more to the left where Will was likewise leaning into him, their faces turned to each other. And with smiling lips Hannibal snatched a quick lip to lip kiss, drawing back only for Will to follow, his still regulating breaths ghosting across Hannibal's face before their lips met again, their eyes closing briefly for one slow, deep kiss.

When they parted from kissing again and the younger man dropped his head to Hannibal's shoulder, Hannibal leaned his own head back against the counter and felt something settle inside him, something that had been uncertain, restless, ugly and convoluted for so long. It was settled now, content and appeased.

Everything felt like Hannibal hadn't thought it ever would.

He didn't even have a word for it.

It just made him smile…and smile, and made his throat tight and his eyes warm and his fingertips tingle.

It made him feel dizzy and elated.

When Will lifted his head and shifted, Hannibal lazily rolled his head to the side –pliant and comfortable despite being half naked, a mess and sitting on their kitchen floor-, and he watched with a half-smile on his face and a curious frown as Will got up onto his knees, absently pulling his pants and underwear up and tucking himself away somewhat before he reached up onto the counter to retrieve the side plate on which the cake Hannibal had cut was still half-eaten.

He sat back down once he had it, leaning in enough that their shoulders were pressed together, the younger man handing the plate and fork to him. Hannibal had pulled his pants up and was tucking himself in too, and he took the plate from Will once he'd returned his lower-half to a state of decency, and then he watched with unfettered affection as Will picked up the fork and carved off a piece of cake, bringing the fork to his own lips and eating the cake from it with a slow slide of his pursed lips and an amused fondness in his eyes.

He brought the fork to the side plate again, where it was balanced evenly on Hannibal's hand, and he picked up the last piece as he licked his lips,

"So this is really your birthday, right?" he brought the cake to Hannibal's mouth next, "You're not just humoring me?" Hannibal ate the piece of cake off the fork as Will carefully slipped the tines in between his parted lips and out again, the chocolate melting on his tongue. He took a moment to swallow the dessert as he glanced to the side, setting the empty side plate on the floor on the other side of him.

When he looked at Will again, he licked his lips and nodded,

"It is, yes." he took the fork from Will and set it on the plate as well before turning back and placing his hand on the side of Will's neck, drawing the younger man in for a decadently chocolate laced kiss, more interested in the taste of Will's mouth than the cake.

He had never cared for his birthday, but he knew from that day on, it would be quite different, and knowing that, he found himself already looking forward to what the future –his future with Will- would hold.

He continued to kiss Will, turning his body more to face the brunet as he leaned forward.

Will turned too, accommodating the kiss even as he asked,

"So how…old…are you…today?" between one kiss and the next, voice raspy and half-mumbled, and then the question was briefly forgotten as both of them easily shifted so Will was lying back on the tiles, Hannibal moving to lay half on top of him. They kissed for a while like that before Will remembered his train of thought, "I have…an idea…but…" more kisses interrupted him though, more mumbled words heatedly breathed between them as Hannibal settled more on top of him, pressing himself between Will's parted legs.

He was beginning to get hard again, and if he could have more of Will's closeness and touch that evening, he certainly would.

Hannibal was mostly distracted with sucking on Will's bottom lip, sliding one hand through the younger man's hair as he balanced on his other forearm and gently pressed his hips against Will's, letting the man feel his returning erection in order to discern whether Will would be receptive to _more_. But he'd heard the brunet's question, and when he answered absently, telling Will his age in an aroused rasp from his mouth into Will's, he was caught off guard by the younger man's husky laughter, Will's lean body vibrating with his chuckles beneath Hannibal's weight.

He didn't have a chance to be offended though, because Will's laugher became an eager kiss of tongue, teeth and warm breath before he drew back just enough to explain himself in a sensual, teasing voice,

"54 and hard _twice_ in under an hour." he stated sounding rather impressed beneath his amusement, and Hannibal just came up from kissing Will's neck to kiss the brunet's mouth again, long and deep and wet, and when that kiss ended with Will panting and pressing his hips up to meet Hannibal's subtle grinding, Will managed to mutter that he wasn't sure anything about Hannibal was normal.

Hannibal grinned against Will's parted mouth at the crooked compliment, and was about to affirm that for his lover, when they both heard the clinking of the side plate on the tiles. Hannibal turned to look over his shoulder immediately and Will raised his head as well, the two men watching with half-lidded gazes as Francesca –who knew better than to look for food **on** the tables and counters-, took advantage of the plate set on the floor where she was accustomed to finding food, the happy dog enthusiastically licking at the few crumbs and patches of icing left behind.

Will started laughing again as he set his head back on the tiles and Hannibal found that he wasn't even annoyed by having a dog licking his expensive dishware, not when Will was happy, laughing and the evening had been so…wonderful.

The things that would have once bothered him deeply hardly mattered now, and he was further pleased by the fact that Will didn't seem worried or uncomfortable about his possible reaction to Francesca's behavior, which was a sign of the younger man recognizing their equality, no longer second guessing himself or anything else.

It was beautiful…Will was beautiful. He thought it so often Hannibal wondered if he was losing his mind.

Francesca wandered over next to sniff at them afterwards and Hannibal shifted to get up then, settling on his knees as Will sat up as well, both of them petting _their_ excited pet as she wagged her tail and made happy whining noises while snuffling and moving between their scratching, petting hands.

"She came to say happy birthday," Will said smiling, grabbing a gentle handful of Francesca's fur with his cleaner hand as he kissed her head, "isn't that right girl? You came to wish Hannibal happy birthday, huh?" and in response she whined again and barked once before Will let her go and she turned to Hannibal, expecting further attention.

Hannibal obliged her, he wouldn't kiss her head as Will had, but he did scratch her ears and under her chin generously, glancing at Will as he did, just to see the pleased and fond smile on the brunet's face that he had whenever Hannibal interacted with Francesca.

When Will moved to stand a moment later, Hannibal followed suit, picking up the plate and fork as he did so, and Francesca lost interest in them then, trotting away with claws clicking on tile as she disappeared around the counter, going off to somewhere in the house.

There was an undercurrent of disappointment running through Hannibal at having been interrupted by Francesca, but he didn't let it ruin their mood, and as he watched Will sip from his unfinished wine, Hannibal reached out and ran the backs of his knuckles down the younger man's bare arm with tenderness only Will inspired in him,

"Thank you, Will." he said sincerely, before he reached for his own wine, "This was entirely unexpected, and a rather wonderful surprise." he admitted, taking a sip of his wine and pursing his lips after.

"I was worried you wouldn't like it," Will responded, leaning his hip against the counter and facing Hannibal as he tipped his wine glass from side to side slightly, "since you made a point of keeping your birthday to yourself all this time."

Hannibal set his half-finished wine down and shook his head once, meeting Will's eyes,

"It was not so much that I wanted to keep it from you, as the fact that it was never a day of significance for me, it was never a celebrated day."

Will didn't respond immediately, standing in the quiet of the kitchen as he regarded Hannibal for a pensive moment before he finally said,

"Good." with a small smile settling on his lips. Hannibal cocked an eyebrow at the unexpected response, wondering what was good about what he'd just said, and Will just continued to smile as he explained, "it's never been important before, but now it is," he swallowed, lowering his eyes to look into his wine as he softly added, "something just between us, something you've never shared with anyone, until now." he looked at Hannibal again.

Hannibal felt those words as if they were physically burrowing deep under his skin, right along with the butterflies that were as enthusiastic as ever fluttering inside his stomach at the loving sentimentality of Will's words.

"Just between us." he echoed, returning Will's soft smile.

Francesca returned to the kitchen just then, going over to her water bowl where the sounds of her lapping at the liquid filled the kitchen. The moment slipped from them with that second interruption, and Will reached a hand up to run through his untidy hair and down the side of his neck,

"Uh, I'll tidy up here-…"

"I'll help you." Hannibal immediately added but Will waved a hand.  
"-…no, Hannibal, it's _your_ birthday" he stated, and Hannibal just assumed that that usually meant something to other people on their birthdays, " **and** you just got home from work." Will added quickly, having likely seen the less than acquiescing look on Hannibal's face at his first given reason. "Go take a hot shower and relax, I did make dinner if you want to eat afterwards." the brunet was saying as he began to tidy up, picking their shed clothing up from the floor.

Hannibal wanted to insist that he help, but tidying up and the food became the furthest things from his mind when he saw an opportunity present itself in Will's words.

"Very well." he agreed, stepping forward to take the gathered clothes from Will hands, noticing that Will suddenly seemed to remember that the residual mess of come had dried on his right hand, just as it had in Hannibal's hair from said hand, the brunet glancing at his hand with a slight grimace as he clenched it absently.

It only gave Hannibal further reason to take a chance on his idea, and so after he'd stepped around Will and was walking toward the doorway, he stopped and turned around to look at the younger man,

"Will," he said quietly and Will looked up from where he was pouring the unfinished wine from their glasses into the sink, raising an eyebrow in question. Hannibal had been about to pose what he wanted to say as a question, but at the last second it occurred to him that a suggestion might be the better option, so quietly, he added, "if you'd like, you could join me in the shower."

And beyond seeing Will's both eyebrows raise, his ears and cheeks pinken and his gaze avert quickly, Hannibal didn't wait for a response, rather he left it at that, walking from the kitchen quietly and ignoring the ugly tension he suddenly felt at knowing that if –or rather when- Will didn't join him, he would have to contend with the lingering feeling of rejection he'd experienced on more than one occasion in the past.

But like so many things, less and less recently at least, he resigned himself to the likely outcome and made his way through the house and upstairs to their bedroom.

* * *

Standing in the bathroom looking in the mirror; his hair a mess across his forehead and atop his head, shirtless, pants undone, ejaculate drying on his lower stomach and the front of his pants, Hannibal couldn't help but to smirk at his reflection, at his face, because despite what a mess he was, his _face_ lacked the excess stress and tension lines he'd been sporting lately, lacked the perpetual frown of concern and anxiety, the drawn colour of tiredness in his skin.

He looked different…he looked as good and as pleased as he'd been once before, during the time when he'd thought Will was going to run away with him. It was sad to think of how he'd believed he'd been happy before that, before Will, but he'd only been complacent, he'd been powerful and individual and predatory, but never anything close to _happy_. And then, when he'd been all of those things…as well as in love with Will Graham, he'd already **felt different**. He just hadn't acknowledged it quite as well then as he could now; presented with a clear before, during and after picture of his life regarding Will.

It did make him wonder though, how Will saw himself. He wondered if Will compared his past and present, he wondered if Will regretted, missed and mourned what had been, or whether he acknowledged, embraced and felt free and happy in what presently was.

But he wouldn't ask, because something's needed to remain personal, a lesson hard learned for Hannibal from having stripped Will's mind bare in the past and faced his anger, hatred and wrath for it. They were equals now, which meant Hannibal wouldn't know anything for sure about Will unless he was told it or it was made obvious to him. It was difficult for him to live inside such confining parameters, but like all things, it was worth doing to keep Will with him.

Not prying into Will's every thought and feeling did however, mean that he may never know what brought about the interpersonal changes in Will over the last week or so. Especially to the extent he'd experienced that evening; suddenly being faced with such a natural, confident, affectionate and sexual side of Will was wonderful and also staggering and confusing.

Hannibal of course had a theory, one he'd been considering since the last time they'd had sex and Will had opted for penetrative sex, had _wanted_ it of his own choice and volition. And that theory was that since the commencement of their sexual relationship, with each new experience, with each time they were intimate and physical, Will had been discovering what he liked, and as he did so, he'd been accepting each desire within himself for what it was, and as he grew surer and more certain of what he wanted and that he could have it, he'd begun to assert himself. He'd begun to feel _good,_ without worrying about judgment and regret, and he'd wanted to feel it again and again, he'd accepted that he could have it freely, that he didn't need to ask or feel bad for wanting it…and now, slowly but surely, he was _taking_.

It was just a theory really, but Hannibal was quite certain that that was what was happening, because it would explain why Will's behavior was gradually and steadily becoming more natural around and toward him, between them. It was also quite bittersweet though, because seeing this new side of Will shined light on what the younger man had probably been like with his ex-wife, what he might have been like had he been with Alana.

It was the part of Will that _loved_ , the side to him that _expressed_ it.

And being that as it was, painful and nauseating in its jealous roots, Hannibal forced himself to focus only on the sweet and not the bitter, to focus on the fact that Will was expressing those feelings to and for _him_ now, and Hannibal had every intention of being worthy of the love Will felt for him.

Overall, feeling good in new and delightful ways –especially after the evening's events- Hannibal went through the motions of undressing, setting the clothes that would require dry cleaning separately from the machine washables, before he opened the wide glass shower door and stepped onto the cold floor tiles. The water ran hot almost instantly when he turned the handle and he turned up the cold water only enough to stave off an uncomfortable burn on his skin, setting the pressure to a steady strum against his skin.

He was soaked in no time under the spray, and the heat of the water filled the rainfall shower cubicle with steam very quickly. He stood for a while just soaking, perhaps unconsciously stalling, and after a minute or two he ducked his head down from the spray and cleared water off his face with his hand, proceeding to run his hands over the rest of his body distractedly.

He gave up on stalling only after a good fifteen minutes since he'd left the kitchen had passed, and he reached for the shampoo. He washed his hair first, and then his body as he usually would, thorough but efficient in his lathering, conditioning and rinsing, and he was in the process of his last minute soak when he heard shuffling outside the shower cubicle.

Hannibal's heart rate immediately jumped into a racing pace and his eyes snapped open. He swiped a quick hand over his face to clear the water from it before looking through the heavily steamed glass, and there, just outside, he saw the vague shape of Will…and he heard the sounds of a belt buckle settling lightly on the quartz countertop.

He closed his eyes and imagined Will undressing… _knowing_ the younger man would be joining him soon and being both appalled and amazed at the level of excitement –not just the sexual kind- that he was feeling.

There were moments that little things could mean so much more than sex, and Hannibal felt that this was one of those moments.

Sure enough, the shower door opened after a few long seconds and despite wanting to turn immediately, Hannibal gave Will a moment to step inside properly, to close the door and to let the water soak his skin; soak into the skin that Hannibal was _starved_ and _curious_ about feeling when completely wet, a sensation he'd never yet experienced. He took a steadying breath and once he figured he'd waited long enough he turned around, just in time to meet Will's eyes after the younger man wiped a hand over his water sheened face.

Will pursed his wet lips, his skin flushing quickly from the heat of the shower, and perhaps also the situation. Hannibal, naturally, found it a lovely sight, and since Will had recently seemed to be more accepting of Hannibal's intense physical and emotional attraction toward him, he allowed himself to look over the length of Will's wet body with open desire. The lines of Will's musculature was always defined without looking strained, he was soft and hard in all the right places, lean and sharp and smooth too, just where he should be. Strong and fit and fair and stunning.

He licked water from his lips as he trailed his eyes back up to meet Will's, aware that his own cock was thickening while Will's remained full from the warmth, but flaccid overall. He was about to apologize for his body's strong reaction, but then Will stepped closer, feet sliding on the tiles just so, as he also trailed his gaze over Hannibal, absently wiping water from his face again before he glanced down over Hannibal and then looked up quickly.

Hannibal's curiosity over what Will saw and thought when he looked at his physical nakedness was not enough to prompt him too ask, he was still too afraid to know the answer to such a question.

Standing close, Hannibal reached back to turn down the water pressure so it was not too heavy before he faced Will again, who was looking at him seemingly at a loss of what to do.

 _'_ _Perhaps not all of it will happen so naturally.'_ Hannibal mused to himself, seeing as how he was certain that when Will had taken showers with his wife in the past, he probably hadn't been so stiff and uncertain of himself.

Hannibal smiled at Will to ease the tension and while the sexual arousal he'd been feeling was easing away, the butterflies and intense excitement and affection that made his stomach feel light and unsettled, remained.

"What do you usually do first," Hannibal found himself asking, gesturing to the inset wall shelf adorned with an array of expensive bath products, "hair or body?" and while with another lover he'd not have asked, he would have simply done, he knew better than to get ahead of himself where Will was concerned.

Will blinked a bit owlishly and glanced to the products before he pursed his wet lips and raised a hand to swipe wet curls back from his forehead,

"Uh, hair…" he quickly reached for the shampoo he'd been using for a long time, a subtle fragrance that complemented his natural scent very nicely.

Hannibal intercepted his movement once he'd taken a hold of the bottle, grasping the smooth wet skin of Will's wrist with gentle fingers and stepping closer to the younger man,

"May I?" he asked quietly, looking into Will's eyes.

Will didn't answer verbally, instead lowering his arm so Hannibal's loosely grasping fingers slid up over the younger man's hand until he could take the bottle from Will.

"Should I turn around?" Will asked, lowering his gaze to stare at Hannibal's chin as he opened the shampoo bottle and poured a generous amount of the silky liquid into the palm of his right hand.

"If you like." Hannibal responded, not thinking it was necessary, and when Will didn't turn he raised his hands and gently, caressing and massaging, he smoothed and then lathered the shampoo into Will's wet hair, the shower cubicle filling the fragrance of the product.

Will's eyes slid closed as Hannibal's hands tangled and massaged into his dark curls, creating ample foam under the slow water cascade and through the creamy texture of the shampoo. And for a while they remained quiet and close as Hannibal washed Will's hair, pressing the pads of his fingers in gently, twirling patterns and lightly scraping Will's pale scalp with trim nails, occasionally caressing over Will's ears and temples and the sensitive nape of his neck, his eyes trailing the lines of soap sliding down the slope of Will's neck, shoulders and the defined musculature of his chest.

Hannibal was aroused again, but it was nothing desperate or lustful, just appreciative and affectionately desiring.

He was truly enjoying the calming intimacy of the moment, something he'd honestly imagined himself doing with Will on more than one occasion in the past, even before the fall.

But the peace and calm were shattered by Will's unexpected question,

"Did you do this with Bedelia?" voiced quietly between them, the warmth of his breath almost swallowed up in the steam, but not so much that Hannibal didn't feel the catch of it on the wet skin of his chin and neck.

The question didn't rattle him, because for all that it was unexpected, Hannibal was not so easy to surprise when the topic was not directly related to Will, and the topic of Bedelia was the last thing that would bring him any sort of unease. He was however, aware of the parallels of how earlier that evening, he'd wanted to ask Will whether birthday sex had been something Will had taken part in with his ex-wife, and now Will was asking about whether he'd done something with his own 'ex-wife' that they were now doing together.

He couldn't help that he felt a sense of smug calm at the question, feeling pathetically comforted knowing he wasn't the only one that experienced such personally and self-esteem disparaging thoughts.

Still, having to answer made him feel wary, because he wasn't sure how Will would take it. All the same, as he pressed and rubbed soothing circles into the younger man's gradually rinsing hair, he kept his voice calm and even as he answered,

"Not in the shower like this, but yes, I did wash her hair when she bathed." he said honestly.

Will's eyes opened then, Hannibal watching as droplets of water caught in his lashes, on the tip of nose and in the prominent bow of his lips,

"When you bathed together?" he asked a bit tightly, his mouth tense in the way it usually was when he spoke of something that upset him, teeth close to clenching, visible between his lips but not blatantly bared.

Hannibal, watching his mouth intently, found himself wishing his senses were not overwhelmed by the scents of product in the shower so that he could smell the jealously on Will. He couldn't though, and even if he wanted to, jealousy –as he well knew- was not a good feeling, so keeping in the vein of honesty, he answered Will as evenly as before,

"We never bathed together, simultaneously." which was the truth, but Hannibal omitted the part about the clawfoot tub being too small for two full grown adults to fit inside of.

"Did she wash your hair as well?" Will tilted his head just slightly as Hannibal smoothed his hands over the brunet's slick hair, along with thick white soap rinsing away.

"On occasion." the sound of water and soap spattering on the tiles at their feet was loud in the following silence.

Will's hair was entirely rinsed and Hannibal was squeezing silky conditioner into the palm of his right hand when the younger man, gaze never rising higher than Hannibal's nose, asked his next question,

"Were you intimate with her?" he was standing stock still, blinking gathered water from his lashes and glancing down at the close proximity of their naked bodies. Hannibal blinked slowly at the question, enjoying how Will sighed as he used his palms first and then his blunt nails to massage the conditioner into the younger man's hair.

"No." he said honestly, albeit abstrusely, considering he was answering the question while purposely ignoring the context in which Will was asking.

There was a beat of silence and then Will snorted rudely and looked up at Hannibal, their eyes finally meeting as his hands, creamy with conditioner, slipped down the nape of Will's neck,

"Were you fucking her?" he clarified stiffly, gaze intense and hard now as he regarded Hannibal seriously. And he supposed he deserved the crassness, as he'd been needlessly avoiding answering what he knew to be the question.

He settled his hands on Will's shoulders and had the decency -and awareness of needing to appear chastised- to lower his eyes,

"Yes." was the long and short of it. Because he had been having sex with Bedelia during their months together in Florence, before Will had come after him and she'd become glaringly aware of her expendability and had been scornful and bitter for it.

He met Will's eyes again after a contrite second and they stared at each other, and in that moment Will was looking at Hannibal with a depth and clarity that was a bit unsettling. But it didn't last long, the moment ended when the younger man looked away without a word, reaching for his mesh loofa –an item that Hannibal had been surprised to find in Will's Wolftrap bathroom the very first time he'd snooped around the younger man's house-, and proceeded to pump his liquid soap onto it to begin washing his body.

He was a bit awkward about it, as he first made his loofa soapy in between his hands for longer than necessary, Hannibal watching soap gather between the lines of his long fingers and Will keeping his eyes down, the spattering of the water filling the silence between them. It actually seemed like some sort of dismissal to Hannibal, and since his fingers were beginning to prune anyway, he was considering leaving the shower. But then Will suddenly overcame his awkwardness, as if he'd been working himself up to it, and he turned around to face his back to Hannibal before holding the loofa over his shoulder for Hannibal to take.

The blooming of pleasant heat and desire in Hannibal's gut was sudden, pleased as he was to see Will loosening up and embracing the logistics of showering together, perhaps also just being aware of how badly Hannibal wanted to put his hands on him and no longer shying away from it as he had in the past.

He took the loofa, gently brushing their fingers together and then he began to wash Will's back, starting from the back of his neck and moving in firm circles onto his pale shoulders. He made the action of washing Will's back sensual and intimate, trailing his fingers over Will's skin in the wake of the loofa, and as he pressed the soapy mesh down the line of Will's spine, he leaned forward to kiss the hot, wet skin at the back of the brunet's neck, the younger man dipping his head forward when he asked,

"Would that…" but he paused and exhaled quietly as Hannibal washed his lower back with one hand while sliding his other hand over Will's naked, soapy smooth hip, "…would that have been us, in Florence?" Hannibal's sensual desire was rapidly becoming sexual again as he touched Will's wet skin, but he listened to Will's words, "If I had left with you?" he finished, but then he tipped his head back onto Hannibal's shoulder and rasped out a ' _Jesus, Hannibal_ ' as Hannibal slid slick fingers over his flaccid sex, fondling him gently.

Because he wanted to…and because he _could_. Will was **his** lover now, there was no Bedelia or Molly or Alana, just them, and he could touch, and he would because Will didn't tell him not to, because Will wanted him to.

He trailed his open mouth up the side of Will's neck to answer against the younger man's blush and heat reddened ear,

"We would have been whatever you wanted." he said truthfully, feeling Will becoming erect under his ministrations, and then he reigned himself in when the temptation to bend Will over in the shower almost became too much.

Will dipped his head again when Hannibal ceased his touches, the brunet taking in a deep breath as he reached back to grab the loofa from Hannibal's hand, proceeding to wash over his chest, stomach and underarms quickly with a shaking hand. But if Will was irritable about him stopping, he was unable to tell without being able to see Will's face or smell his scent.

What Hannibal **did know** was that when Will reached back again to grab a hold of his forearm –for balance-, going on to bend forward slightly as he raised his right leg to wash it, it was **intentional**. There was absolutely no way Will was unaware of the position it put them in. There was also no way he didn't feel the slight touch of Hannibal's half-hard cock to his exposed ass.

Almost absently placing his other hand on Will's narrow hip to steady him, Hannibal thought curiously again about Will's foreplay proclivities, the brunet's present actions making him wonder whether Will was aroused by the nuances that came before and after sex between them; by the subtle touches and innuendos. Was he enjoying teasing Hannibal right now? Was he discovering that he had a penchant for teasing? How aware was he of his body and Hannibal's attraction to him now that he'd been with Hannibal a few times? Didn't it disconcert him anymore, to have his most sensitive and private place exposed or touched? Or, in having discovered that it felt good when Hannibal touched him there, was inside of him, that he was now comfortable with it? Perhaps, did he like the feeling of being exposed, did he like knowing how badly Hannibal _always_ wanted him?

Had Will ever felt what it was like to be so very desired in every way before being with Hannibal?

The questions were endless, but the answer was simple.

It didn't matter. Nothing from before would interfere anymore.

Hannibal would learn Will the hands on way, peeling back the layers as Will allowed him to.

Despite the tease of his actions though, Will washed his legs and personal parts quite clinically, not taking any longer than was necessary, and even though his firm ass brushed against Hannibal's hardening cock more than once, the younger man didn't seem uncomfortable about it or seem to be doing it overtly on purpose, even though Hannibal strongly suspected otherwise.

Moreover though, when Will was done washing and he stood up straight again; rinsing his loofa, hanging it up, running hands over his hair and skin -all the while not minding that both of Hannibal's hands were ever so lightly caressing his narrow hips, thumbs brushing over the dimples of his lower back, not minding the intimate touches while he went about his routine-, all of that made Hannibal realize that he was enjoying the domesticity of it more than anything else.

He'd had this revelation a few times before since living with Will, but facing it now in such a situation that could have been explicitly sexual and finding himself enjoying the way they could be naked together, the way Will could be naked with him, and no longer feel nervous or overwrought, was fulfilling in a very sappy and emotional way.

Hannibal was reminded then of a few weeks back, when Will had hugged him and it'd felt like so much more, and as he had in fact been learning from Will's emotionality in the past few years, he decided to take a page out of the younger man's book.

Will had just turned around to face him, the words ' _Are you done?_ ' barely out of Will's mouth before Hannibal slipped his arms around Will, over his arms and around his midsection, pulling him forward into a _hug_. And yes, it was certainly different than the one they'd shared fully clothed in the kitchen weeks ago; their wet, slick, nude bodies pressed flush together, but it was a hug none the less, and Will returned the embrace despite the different physical circumstances, his arms raising as much as they could so he could settle his hands on Hannibal's back, fingers pressing into the skin and muscle there.

Hannibal pressed his face into Will's neck and held him close, felt water gather where their skin connected, he closed his eyes and savored the sensation of their closeness. Will leaned into him too, he felt the younger man's chin settle against his shoulder, felt him relax completely.

"I'm sorry…that I didn't leave with you that night." Will said after a moment. And that close to Will's skin, Hannibal could finally scent the younger man again, picking up only traces of nervousness that belied his physical confidence and the quiet firmness of his tone, and now he could also smell something like sadness and pain on the younger man, the kind that came of loss.

Hannibal didn't want Will to feel anything negative, he didn't want Will slipping back into those dark places because they'd come so far and at this point he was _terrified_ of losing Will to that hatred again. But he sensed, more aware after the past few years of getting to know different sides to Will, that brushing off the comment would be as bad as ignoring it, and that showing how he failed to relate to the pain of loss Will felt for Abigail would only create tension and distance.

So instead of lying about it or avoiding it, Hannibal chose to be as honest as he knew how to be,

"I am sorry for the excess of pain I have caused you, Will," he paused then, drawing back and sliding his hands up to cradle Will's face as he looked him in the eyes, "but I cannot be sorry about our history together in its entirety, because without it all, we wouldn't be here now, together." he finished quietly, swallowed tensely.

He wasn't surprised when he felt Will pulling back, the conversation had taken a turn that was decidedly unpleasant. But, just as suddenly as the unease and tension had been rapidly building in his body, he felt it dissipate when instead of pulling away, Will leaned in and slid their cheeks together, trim beard scraping against light stubble in something very close to a nuzzle, which made Will shiver –for whatever way it affected him-, and then his mouth found Hannibal's, the younger man initiating a kiss, and then following through with a slow series of open mouthed, water dappled kisses.

Hannibal could feel Will shaking lightly since they were touching nearly everywhere and the situation was new and different and likely overwhelming to his senses. But since the water was still running hot -Will's skin, mouth and hands warm and flush-, and his scent was only slightly tainted with hints of serotonin and the subtler bitterness of dopamine, Hannibal surmised Will was just feeling nervous _anticipation_ because of the obvious sexuality and newness –for him- of them being naked in the shower together, so it wasn't bad.

And Will kissed him and was respective to Hannibal sensually but enthusiastically kissing him back. It went from being a kiss of comfort to a moment of exploration; Will hands sliding very –very- slowly and tentatively over the skin of Hannibal's back and hips, eventually down the sides of his thighs, up again along his flanks, around to his front to skim over his abdomen before moving back to Hannibal's shoulders. And Hannibal didn't interfere with his curious, slippery touching, instead he kept his own hands gently caressing Will's face and hair only, occasionally severing their kisses to give attention to the hard cut of Will's jaw, the column of his neck and the muscular line of his shoulder before kissing his mouth again.

They were both erect now, pleasing Hannibal just for the fact, their sexes brushing and pressing together between them, but it went no further than that, not physically at least, while emotionally and intimately, Hannibal knew it was another milestone for them.

It was only after long minutes of kissing and exploration that they decided it was time to leave the shower; when they both became aware of just how pruny their skin had become, and Will laughing about it as they turned off the water and exited the shower together was incredibly infectious to Hannibal.

All the seriousness and negativity was forgotten after that, the couple drying and dressing in comfortable familiarity, Hannibal watching Will smile as he talked about the day and the dinner he'd prepared, Hannibal ever-mesmerized by the sight of Will. Never-ending.

* * *

They ate the dinner Will had prepared well past the hour they usually did, and sat up even later drinking wine and relaxing on the couch by the fire with Francesca lying between them on the middle seat. She was stretched out and awake, as if she were listening to their conversations about the town, the people, events, trivial gossip and their plans for the following weeks, and as usual, they occasionally dipped into references of literature, psychology and local and world news in between the everyday domestic things. The evening winded down that way, pleasant and perfect and cozy and homely –all the things Hannibal never knew he wanted.

The hour was past twelve by the time Francesca had left them to curl up by the lowly burning fire and Will was close to dozing off, as relaxed as Hannibal had ever seen him, a smile on his face and his eyes half-lidded as Hannibal told him about _Aristophanes_ and _The Clouds_. The brunet was laid out on his back on the sofa, having taken up the space their pet had vacated, his nearly empty wineglass set on the floor by the couch, arms folded over his abdomen, head pillowed on a throw cushion and the armrest, and as the time went by Will's eyes gradually slid closed until he'd fallen asleep.

Hannibal watched him with a feeling of seemingly bottomless fondness, continuing to talk quietly until he knew the younger man was fully asleep; Will's face turned into the soft cushion just a bit, his lips slightly parted as he breathed evenly, arms slackening so his hands rested on his abdomen, loosely splayed on the cotton of his dark green sleep shirt.

His curls were a lovely mess, having air dried untidily after only a cursory rub up with a towel, and Hannibal was about to get up, wanting to go over and brush his fingers through the softness of Will's hair. But before he could move, Will's legs, which had been bent up just enough to keep his feet from touching Hannibal all the while, finally stretched out as the younger man shifted in his sleep, inhaling slowly and getting more comfortable, his left leg falling toward the back of the couch, that foot sliding until his toes were pressed beneath Hannibal's arm, against his side, while his right foot -fine boned and high arched- landed itself in Hannibal's lap.

It should have been nothing, something so small, so naturally occurring seeing as how Will was asleep and warm and safe and close, but it wasn't **nothing**.

It was, yet again, intimate and domestic and real in a way Hannibal had never known he might want or appreciate.

A lump formed again in his throat and his chest felt sore with emotion, his body running hot with the sensations created within him by the feeling of _loving_ someone. Of loving Will. Hannibal hadn't ever felt a specifically intense need to say the words 'I love you' out loud before that moment, he knew Will knew how he felt, and vice versa, and neither of them had verbalized it, but right then, he felt as though the words were clawing their way out of his constricting throat.

He didn't say it though, for what good would it do? Will was asleep. He wouldn't hear it. Or perhaps that was a reason to say it out loud right then, when he felt so compelled to.

But he didn't say it.

What he did do, was rest his head back against the couch at an angle that he could watch Will sleep, and he splayed his hand, his fingers, along the top arch of Will's foot, not lightly enough to tickle, only firmly enough to be briefly felt but not to disturb.

In that moment he felt serene and perfectly comfortable, and with his thumb lightly brushing over the delicate bone of Will's ankle, Hannibal drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave your thoughts if you would? Many thanks!


	5. What are you so afraid to lose?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- An update! And with a surprise! ヽ(‘ ∇‘ )ノ  
> \- This is not beta-read, apologies for any errors. Please report them to me!  
> \- There is one Lithuanian word here, translation can be read by hovering your cursor over the first set of quotation marks.  
> \- This story was inspired by Damien Rice's music, inspirational to the last.  
> \- I've got one chapter left, and then I don't know if Faded Fantasy will continue beyond that (￣ｰ￣;)  
> \- I hope everyone enjoys and thank you for continuing to stick around!! <3

* * *

* * *

In the routine of their lives since Francesca had joined them, it was very rare that Hannibal would wake up before Will, since at least an hour before Hannibal even roused to begin his day and before the sun had even properly risen, Will would already be outside with Francesca, running around the expansive land surrounding their isolated home.

So on a rare day when Hannibal did get up earlier than Will, it was disorienting to wake up in bed alone, which was kind of a testament to how used to sleeping next to Hannibal he'd become. To waking up with Hannibal lying an arm's length away on _their_ king sized bed, often on his back, sometimes on his side, his features sharp and harsh –and all the more handsome for it- never entirely slack even in sleep, only ever just softened.

So much had changed between them.

There were even times now when they'd fall asleep with Hannibal spooning up behind him, a detail that surprised Will for how much the feeling of the older man sleeping pressed against him calmed his mind and senses and made him feel safe instead of trapped. But even when they fell asleep that way, they never woke up still spooning.

Neither of them were clingers.

Will had often woken up with Molly curled up against his back or side, and after so long, the thought of those mornings when he'd carefully disentangle himself from her to begin his day didn't even register any feelings with him. Mostly it just left him wondering and trying to remember if he'd ever felt something in particular when he'd woken up to Molly clinging to him.

He'd certainly felt something when he'd woken up just now to the absence of Hannibal in the bed beside him.

Had that ever happened with Molly? He couldn't recall such a thing…but then, the circumstances were not the same…nor were the feelings attached.

Lying on his back on his side of the bed, Will inhaled a deep waking breath as he became fully aware, easily casting out the unnecessary thoughts that held no place in his present life, before he sat up, drawing his legs up from under the soft, weighty duvet covers and rubbing his sleep warm hands over his face. He swallowed the taste of sleep as he ran a hand back through his air dried curls, which were an absolute mess he was sure, and then he glanced at Hannibal's empty –and made up- side of the bed.

He frowned lightly as he looked around the bedroom; to the still closed curtains and bedroom door, and he noticed that despite the heavy drapes, the sun was well and truly up already, which meant that Hannibal wasn't up earlier than him, he'd somehow slept later. Will turned and reached for his cell phone where it always sat on his bedside table, and after he unlocked it he checked his alarm and found that it had been switched off.

So Hannibal had wanted him to sleep later?

Will absently locked his phone and without looking he placed it back on the nightstand, swiping his hand over his face before tossing the covers off his bare legs and swinging them off the bedside so he could get to his feet. He usually only slept in boxers these days – Hannibal occasionally doing the same-, and so he walked around the bed and to the bathroom in nothing but a dark gray pair, far more expensive and comfortable than the ones he'd used to buy in his previous life.

Will pushed open the en-suite door, revealing the bright morning light and cool breeze filtering in through the large uncovered open windows, letting in fresh air. Will glanced at the large glass shower cubicle as he passed it, noting the water droplets recently splattered against the clear surface, far more recently than being from the shower Will had been the last to take the night before.

So he'd slept through Hannibal waking and showering?

Will dismissed it, coming to stand at one of the two basins on the large bathroom counter, where he picked up his toothbrush and toothpaste and proceeded to brush his teeth. He was confident that if Hannibal had wanted him to sleep late then the older man would have been sure to see to Francesca, he was also far past the point of suspecting Hannibal was up to anything questionable…in fact, aside from it being weird to wake up alone, Will honestly didn't feel even remotely anxious about the break in his morning routine.

He finished cleaning his mouth and then splashed some water on his face to freshen up, and after he dragged his damp hands through his hair to smooth his wild curls into some semblance of order, he grabbed a neatly folded clean face towel and dabbed at his face to dry it. He paused after a moment with the soft white cloth pressed to his mouth and chin to stare at his reflection in the large mirror, looking at his healthy, clear skinned, well-rested appearance; a sight he had become all too pleased and familiar with. Seeing himself looking so good made him feel good too. There had been a time when the man he was looking at presently would have seemed impossible to find underneath the mess that he'd been.

How things had changed; the thought made him smile slightly to himself.

Will dabbed at a few stray water droplets on his jaw and neck then, before he folded the towel over once and set it on the counter. He left the bathroom and made his way across the room and into their shared walk in closet, and deciding as he went that the weather was cool but not cold, he opened one of the many clothes drawers lining one of the walls and pulled out the topmost folded shirt. It was moss green; a soft cotton, crew neck shirt and Will only vaguely noted that it was long sleeved as he shook it out of its folds. But when he pulled it on over his head and straightened it on his torso, he realized that it was just a little big on him too.

He hadn't known Hannibal owned an informal shirt in that colour, not as he did in a few different shades, so he'd assumed it was his, but he figured it was probably just new, or he hadn't noticed it before since Hannibal rarely wore shirts like that particular one. It didn't bother him though, since it wasn't the first time he'd ended up wearing something of Hannibal's by accident and hadn't bothered to change out of it once it was on. It wasn't as if it was uncomfortable on him, not in the way it fit or for the meanings and other implications behind him occasionally wearing Hannibal's clothing.

The first few times it'd happened he'd blushed about it to himself, but had also rather abruptly realized he didn't feel any urge to take the clothing items off. So he'd worn them, and then eventually, like presently, he didn't even feel his face get warm, only aware that his skin was shielded from early morning air as it was now clothed in fine, soft cotton. Will had actually come to find that a lot of the little things – and big things- that had changed, developed and grown between himself and Hannibal, didn't bother him anymore, and some of them never had. Every day it seemed, he'd learn something new about himself, his feelings and wants, preferences and needs.

Every day with Hannibal, Will came to know himself better and better.

So, no, he didn't mind wearing Hannibal's clothes, not any more than he minded drinking from the same glass, eating from the same utensil or their pillows getting mixed up -whenever Will made the bed mostly-; none of it bothered him like he'd once felt so sure it would.

Absently he pushed the clothes drawer closed again, smirking to himself as he walked back into the bedroom, thinking about the fact that after he'd mixed his and Hannibal's clothes up one too many times when he was on laundry duty, Hannibal had given up altogether in keeping their clothes separately packed. It was just one of the many things Hannibal surrendered to Will without even realizing it.

But then, Will supposed Hannibal wasn't the one likely to pull on the wrong clothes out of the two of them.

Will left the bedroom in just Hannibal's shirt and his underwear, figuring that since Hannibal had probably taken Francesca out, he wouldn't need to go outside, so pants weren't necessary. Will glanced over himself, noting that being bigger on him than his own shirts were -comfortably fitted to the older man's torso-, Hannibal's shirt sleeves covered just over the second knuckles of his fingers and the length of the shirt left only the bottom of his boxers visible just below mid-thigh.

Barefoot, Will padded his way down the hallway leading to the wooden steps, intending to go downstairs, but at the top of the stairs he stopped and leaned against the metal banister, staring down at the mezzanine level between the staircases, considering for a moment whether or not he should go back to the bedroom to put on some pants.

He considered what Hannibal's reaction would be to him in his current state, wearing just his underwear and Hannibal's shirt, against the reaction he'd get if he went downstairs wearing pants.

After a few seconds Will stepped forward and with bare feet lightly patting against cool wood, he descended the stairs…because, see, the thing was, Will was far from unaware of how Hannibal felt about him, and not just emotionally, but _physically_. He'd known since that night so many years ago when he'd laid naked on Hannibal's bed and the man had masturbated and come so hard at just the _sight_ , just the _idea,_ of Will spread out before him.

It was that very incident which had stayed with him for weeks and then months after its occurrence and it was that very incident that first ignited the flame of aroused and curious thought and feeling in Will's mind and body, that incident that had made him ask himself; _could I be with Hannibal that way?_ It had taken him a long time to sort himself out, to get to the point where he'd felt ready. And yeah, sure, it hadn't been easy, and sometimes he still struggled with _certain_ things, but if there was one thing Will knew clearly now, was that he wanted to be with Hannibal, he _wanted_ everything with Hannibal.

He wanted life and death, murder and love and sex with Hannibal, and now he had it all.

And of course, it was impossible not to notice and empathically _know_ what the sight of him –clothed, not or only just- did to Hannibal Lecter, when he'd witnessed it firsthand and secondhand and on numerous occasions. So, did he sometimes do things and say things a certain way and at a certain time because he knew Hannibal would _like_ it, appreciate it, _want_ him for it? Yes, he did. Because he could and because it wasn't hurting him or Hannibal, in fact the progress they'd made with physical intimacy was staggering and often still overwhelmed Will.

But he liked the control he had, the control Hannibal gave to him openly and freely, and he appreciated that Hannibal _tested_ his boundaries –because the bastard was incapable of helping his curiosity when it came to Will- instead of just pushing too hard and violating them. He'd also discovered, after that first night they'd slept together, that he felt good under Hannibal's hands, and he felt desired in a way he'd never experienced with previous partners. And most terrifyingly, he'd discovered that the sex was unbelievable and damn near mind-blowing. It had scared him though, and so he'd withdrawn for a while after that first time, but because Hannibal hadn't pushed him, Will hadn't gone away, he hadn't retreated into his mind, and they'd picked things up again.

Since then, Will felt everything was moving at a good pace, there were a few hitches and bumps in the road, but overall –and especially recently- they were making steady and excellent headway. In fact, after Hannibal's birthday surprise four days ago, Will felt they were in a very natural and very stable place, emotionally and sexually.

And he was happy. No regrets, just as he'd told Hannibal some time ago.

The tiles throughout the house were heated in winter, but because it wasn't cold out, the heat was off and they were cool under Will's pale feet. He walked through the hallway leading to the lounge area, glancing down the length of another hall which led to the foyer and the closed front door.

In the lounge he spotted Francesca lying on the couch, yet another allowance Hannibal had made after a short time, and he walked over to her, rolling up the sleeves of Hannibal's shirt and crouching down beside the couch she was on to pet her long, soft fur, kissing her head and scratching the scruff of her neck and behind her ears as he smiled. Every time he saw her, happy and safe, he always felt a new wave and love and affection for her…and Hannibal.

He spent a little while petting Francesca, the warmth building in his chest as her tail wagged lovingly, adoration in her puppy eyes and Will thought of how when Hannibal looked at him it was with the same unwavering adoration. He was smiling close-lipped and soft when he finally stood up and walked through and out of the lounge, making his way to the kitchen where he expected to find Hannibal, recognizing the all too familiar need, which he'd felt more and more every day, to kiss the older man.

A lot of the feelings he'd experienced since being with Hannibal were new, up to and including a level of physical self-confidence he'd previously lacked. Objectively, he'd always known he was good-looking and that he had a decent body, but that had been all that it was when it came to being sexually, or in Molly's case, romantically involved with another person.

He'd always known that when it came to getting physically intimate with another person, while his mind was a mess, his body and face would make up for some of what he was lacking. Post-Hannibal Lecter's entrance into his life notwithstanding of course, since now he had some pretty ugly scars. But before that, it'd been fine, women had liked him naked, or at least in so far as they'd expressed such a thing.

Even Molly never really went beyond calling him handsome, or playfully smacking or pinching his backside and telling him he had a nice ass. That was pretty much the extent of the ways in which Will had known he was easy on the eyes to her…until Hannibal came along and in yet another aspect of Will's life, had completely changed how Will saw himself.

Because when Hannibal merely _looked_ at him, before anything else that could have followed, the level of the older man's desire plainly emanating from his gaze had been nearly enough to choke Will in the beginning, and since, had become enough to make Will want to be continually desired by Hannibal. And he was physically aware enough of himself to know a few tricks…even if some of them were cliché, like walking around in Hannibal's shirt and only his underwear.

Will suddenly felt a little trite for using such a weak play and he ran a hand over his face with a sigh as he walked into the kitchen, but then he paused just inside the wide doorway and saw Hannibal –sitting at their breakfast nook built in alongside the wide windows- at the same time as the older man looked up from what he was reading, and the way Hannibal's eyes swept over the length of his body –piercing, heated, _effected_ \- immediately banished Will's second thoughts.

Of course, Hannibal had an endless well of self-control and a moment after he'd scanned his eyes over Will, he reeled in the volt-like spark of heat that'd been in his gaze with a quick blink, his eyes reopening settled on Will's face, the dark auburn colour returned and his expression completely unreadable as it most often was. And it was stupid that Will still broke out in a self-conscious blush and little goosebumps under the intensity of Hannibal's gaze, just for knowing how Hannibal felt about him.

Will glanced around the kitchen and quietly cleared his throat before he walked further into the room, but before he could even reach the island counter Hannibal was standing up and striding across the space toward the counter where the expensive coffeemaker was, saying,

"Please sit, Will, breakfast is already laid out. I'll get you some coffee."

Will glanced over to the breakfast dining table then, and sure enough, there he took in the sight of a pre-prepared breakfast spread set out amongst two place settings.

Blinking a few times absently, for a moment Will completely forgot about his half-naked state and Hannibal's briefly heated and stunned gaze, distracted quite suddenly by hunger at the sight of freshly cut fruit, bread rolls, cheese, muffins, pancakes, some fancy pastries, eggs, sausage, bacon and other cold cuts, and he even saw various finger sandwiches, yogurt, muesli, several spreads for the breads and pastries and finally a pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Of course, Hannibal always made delicious breakfasts, but he never usually just spread out a random variety, having always preferred focusing on a specific idea or theme for all meals, pedantic as he tended to be when it came to cooking. So it was a surprise to see something so…homey and domestic, like a family breakfast spread might look… or maybe a goddamn hotel buffet rather.

As it was, even in the two years he'd been married to and had shared a home with Molly and her son, breakfasts like what was currently laid out were very rare and never ever so varied and impressive. Will wouldn't have expected anything less than the best from Hannibal though, so when he smiled at the spread on the table and walked over to pull out the chair set opposite where Hannibal had been seated, it was with genuine appreciation and affection for the things Hannibal did.

He was a serial killer, a monster, evil and so on, yes, but he was also so many other things too; a few of those many things being an old fashioned, old-world mannered and unexpectedly romantic _man._

He hadn't sat down yet when Hannibal came over with steaming hot coffee in Will's preferred mug, and he set it down at the side of the second place setting, which left him standing less than a foot from Will, and when he raised his eyes to look at Hannibal, he immediately noticed the flickering of heat in the older man's gaze, just returning from having skimmed his gaze downward over Will's lower half, his adam's apple bobbing lightly before he spoke,

"I thought you might like something a little less formal for breakfast."

For a split second, the teasing, confident, sexy –as Molly had once called it- side of him that could flirt _very_ well but that he hadn't quite felt ready to show Hannibal entirely yet, nearly made him say ' _me too'_ with reference to his state of partial dress, but his brain-to-mouth filter was functional enough that he didn't offer Hannibal kitchen sex, not **again** so soon after he did that a few days ago. Instead he just raised his eyebrows and leaned up to greet Hannibal with a smiling lip to lip kiss, drawing back to say thank you and meeting the older man's steady gaze again.

It was tempting to kiss Hannibal again, because Will liked kissing him, he was an excellent kisser. But he had to moderate himself, because he worried sometimes that he was getting ahead of himself, the comfort and pleasure of Hannibal's presence and the strength of the man's desire occasionally blurring the lines of Will's _actual_ present propensity for physical intimacy at any given moment. And Will didn't want to seem too ready for things to escalate beyond what he was pre-prepared for, lest it come across as rejection to Hannibal when he didn't follow through.

He was just lucky that Hannibal was so patient with him in this, so understanding and accepting.

Although patience didn't mean Hannibal couldn't be tempted, so Will was only slightly startled, his body tensing minutely when he felt fingertips ticklingly caressing his left thigh, lightly, slowly sliding up to just underneath his already somewhat short boxers as Hannibal leaned in and kissed him again. Will felt both flushed and anxious at the light touch and the slick slip of Hannibal's tongue along and between the slightly open seam of his mouth; never entirely confident that he had the nerve to outright tell Hannibal _no_ once the touching got started, while knowing that he absolutely could. But also not feeling like it would be the fair thing to do, because really, a part of him had been aware of the effect his state of dress would have on the Doctor.

Christ.

Will could feel his anxiousness rising as steadily as his arousal when Hannibal's fingers slid further up under his shorts in slow –yet too short- order, and still, he parted his lips and tilted his head when Hannibal tongued gently into his mouth again, that time deepening the kiss.

This was where it tended to get confusing though, because Will wanted _things_ , but he was also a little scared of it…

Because no matter how much _control_ he held, he was never **in control** of what he held.

And oh, was there ever a difference.

When Hannibal's hand had slid far enough under his shorts, the older man all at once cupped the underside of one naked cheek of Will's ass with his large warm hand, swallowed Will's subtle breathy noise of aroused uncertainty, and then, like a complete master he withdrew his hand in a slow caress over Will's thigh and severed the kiss with a short, sweet suck before he grasped Will's left hand in both of his and brought it up to press a damp kiss to the flats of Will's fingers.

Will's eyes had eased open and he was aware of his slightly shaken breathing as he looked at Hannibal, who had his eyes closed, the man inhaling deeply against Will's skin and swallowing somewhat audibly before opening his eyes again, his gaze downward set,

"Forgive me, you just look quite…" his slightly raspy voice trailed off and when Hannibal licked and pursed his lips, Will realized, with no small amount of fond amusement, that Hannibal couldn't think of an _appropriate_ adjective to use to describe him.

It made Will smile…and wonder if maybe sex wasn't such a bad idea, at which point his brain-to-mouth filter malfunctioned and he said,

"Maybe after breakfast." in a tone that wasn't suggestive so much as making a suggestion.

A very bold, but at least not impulsive move. He hadn't had sex with Hannibal on impulse yet, and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as he felt he needed that cushion of time to expect – and anticipate- it happening. Because after that first time Will had quickly realized that he became rapidly incoherent and entirely pliant during sex with Hannibal, and so before they did a test run of spontaneous sex, Will wanted to at least have gotten a grasp on the planned sex.

Hannibal's eyes had met his head on at his words, and the older man looked shocked and devoted in the slight, almost unnoticeable way that he often did when Will pleasantly surprised him, which was rather frequently actually. It was such a vulnerable look, Will had picked it apart over the years, having realized it was a look that said –and had been proven in the past- that Hannibal would not rush or force or insist on anything. He would just accept whatever Will was willing to give him.

It reminded Will that he'd chosen to come downstairs dressed that way, expecting a reaction, which was exactly what he'd gotten and was not regretting in the least. It made his smile curve into a smirk as he accessed a little of his flirtatious reserve and placed his hands on Hannibal's hips, pulling the older man closer so he could place a lingering lip to lip kiss on Hannibal's mouth before easing away with a genuine smile and breaking contact to pull his chair further out to sit down.

With a smile of his own, though slight -and a little _dreamy_ if you asked Will-, Hannibal stepped away and sat down in his own chair, glancing at Will over the breakfast table before he reached for a bread roll. Will followed suit, reaching for the platter of fruit; his stomach rumbling eagerly, smile lingering and his body running hot from the ever increasing feeling of sexual anticipation he felt to be with Hannibal Lecter.

* * *

The heat Will had been feeling simmered down throughout breakfast as they talked about everyday things; the psychiatric practice and a reminder that Will didn't need to return, a necessary grocery shopping trip, Francesca's steady behavioral improvement, the upcoming mid-year days of Midnight Light in Skellefteå and whether, now that he had Francesca, Will still wanted to go on his usual two week trip further north of Västerbotten, where he went camping and fishing at the Kågeälven river.

But afterwards, as they cleared the table and cleaned up the minimal mess and the dishes from breakfast, moving around each other in the kitchen efficiently and familiarly, Will had honestly expected Hannibal to make a move to take him up on his offer from earlier, especially since Hannibal kept giving him side-long lingering looks as they worked.

Hannibal had always given those looks, long before Will had accepted the knowledge that at some point the looks had stopped being platonic, but Hannibal almost never initiated any intimate contact unless Will gave him an opening to do so with a look or a touch. Thinking again of the older man's intense self-control as he was packing the last of the clean, dried dishes away, Will realized Hannibal would not try to take him up on that offer unless Will let him know it was still an option; unless Will showed that he wanted it.

Leaving these decisions and choices in Will's hands was both frustrating and comforting; Will knowing Hannibal wouldn't come on to him with insistent expectations while also knowing that he always had to be the one to create a sexual invitation for the Doctor, or initiate such a scenario between them. And while in practice it wouldn't be remotely difficult to execute, it clashed rather directly with his intent to not get ahead of himself.

Needless to say, all of this overcomplicated their situation to the point where the last two times he'd initiated sex between them, Will had asked himself one question and had acted immediately upon the answer in an attempt to simplify the process. And so now, since he'd been pretty turned on before breakfast and had literally no one to answer to but himself for any loss of control that might occur –a very freeing revelation he'd come to some time ago-, he decided to tackle the present situation with the same question.

 _'_ _Do I want to have sex right now?'_

His thoughts traveled the same paths he'd become used to since beginning to ask himself that question; his sense memory reminding him vividly of the pleasure of being with the other man that he hadn't known could possibly be so incredible before the first time he'd slept with Hannibal, and how it had absolutely and irreversibly changed his personal perception and experience of sex and all of its aspects.

The staggering differences between doing and being done, driving and being driven…penetrating and being penetrated, it still left Will more than a little shaken with the firsthand knowledge of how much he _wanted_ it.

Wanted Hannibal inside of him like that.

Honestly, even right then, leaning against the counter and idly wiping his hands with the drying dish cloth, Will couldn't help the heated flush of embarrassment and arousal that moved through him, pinkening his chest, face and ears hotly, as he thought about the weight of Hannibal's body moving above and into him, striking that delicate balance between feeling vulnerable and worshipped that he felt each time Hannibal fucked him. To accompany the embarrassment and arousal, there was also a small dose of shame, although he noticed that as time went on it became less and less, the more he adapted to and accepted every new little thing he discovered about himself.

Hannibal had gone into the pantry to put a few things away and he returned just then, closing the pantry door with a slow slide of his hand as he paused to look at Will, who was just standing around in the kitchen and twisting a dishtowel in his hands.

If Hannibal found it odd, or if he noticed the extra colour in Will's face, he didn't mention it, instead he walked toward the island counter and placed a hand on the spotless surface while he slipped the other into his pocket,

"Was there something you wanted to do today, perhaps a hike?" he asked evenly, no suggestion or hope of anything more intimate in his tone. And Will was left asking himself that question again as he blinked at Hannibal; tall and lean, sharply handsome and with a bunch of other attractive details about his physical form that Will still had trouble bringing himself to acknowledge and catalogue out rightly.

It was one thing to _objectively_ be intimately aware that Hannibal had a big dick, but another entirely to acknowledge how attractive he found hard muscle and a firm touch by large hands, the cut of broad shoulders and the scent of the other man's skin and hair and the stretching width of his lean hips pressed between Will's thighs…

His face was heating up again and after all the progress he'd made recently, he didn't want Hannibal to see him as hesitant or shy; it was already bad enough that he hadn't managed to stem the shakes or the involuntary tensing his body did when Hannibal touched him in certain places and in certain ways. Most ways. All ways.

He inhaled deeply then, Hannibal watching him with a very slight frown forming between his fair eyebrows, and as Will was asking himself that question one more time –already knowing the answer-, Hannibal inclined his head slightly,

"Will?"

The answer was _yes_ , Will had known it the first time he'd asked himself minutes earlier. Y **es** , he wanted to have sex with Hannibal again right then, and maybe again tomorrow and the next day, maybe more than once a day. And he didn't have to feel weird or bad about it, he reminded himself again, as he often did, because he could have this, there was nothing wrong with wanting to have sex with the person you were in love with, even if that person was another man…even if the sex was better with another man than he'd ever personally experienced before with women.

None of that mattered because he was happy and healthy and Hannibal treated him well and the sex was amazing and why shouldn't he enjoy sex like other normal people did, when sex was one of the more normal things in his overall life?

He _hated_ that he had to go over these things with himself sometimes, but it helped and eventually he hoped he wouldn't need to validate himself mentally anymore, but for right then, he'd placated his self-doubts and he managed a smile that wasn't too shaky, before he dropped the unfolded cloth on the counter top behind him and pushed off it to walk toward Hannibal.

He was, of course, still terrible at articulating things of a sexual nature to Hannibal, but he'd found recently that when he was straightforward about what he wanted and was thinking about, it saved them both a lot of confused wondering. So as he past Hannibal on the way to the kitchen doorway, he lightly touched the older man's arm and then, having to clear his throat through an abrupt onslaught of nerves, he paused in the doorway and said,

"It's after breakfast, uh, do you w-wanna'…?" but couldn't help the stammering, "..." or the fact that he couldn't find a straightforward way of asking Hannibal to go upstairs with him to have sex.

But he didn't have to, because something about what he said or the touch of his hand or maybe just looking at Hannibal as he walked by, made the older man's pupils dilate, his gaze filling with that very same desire that made Will feel so good about himself it was becoming addictive, settling into him right along with the sensation of tightness, layers of simmering arousal, coiling in his lower abdomen, in his balls and along the insides of his thighs.

Where in the past, the touch of woman had made him hard and horny, now just the way Hannibal looked at him made him ache in places he hadn't even known could be so ridiculously erogenous.

"I certainly do." Hannibal said in a low tone, thickly laced with heat and desire and his voice only served to increase the ache in Will, making his skin feel hot and his breath come a little quicker as anticipation hardened his cock and –always to his embarrassment- his nipples too, "Please, after you." Hannibal added, ever the gentleman.

Will couldn't help smirking at that, swallowing thickly and bobbing his eyebrows once before he turned and continued walking through the hall and toward the lounge, with every step feeling himself become more and more nervous and turned on and that was exactly the reason that by the time Hannibal usually put his hands on him, Will was already losing his cognizance.

After that first time, where everything had been new and scary and a complete shock of sensation followed by unexpected and totally delirious pleasure, Will still could not get a grip on how incredible it felt to have sex with Hannibal, and it was that very same intense wanting and worrying that both hindered and grounded him in not moving too fast and in not getting ahead of himself.

God, he gave himself a headache just thinking about it.

In the present moment though, Hannibal was following him up the stairs and Will knew what he wanted and the closer they got to the bedroom, the more those questions and doubts and frustrating ironies of his life began to leave his headspace.

All Will wanted was to feel good, and Hannibal made him feel good in all ways, including sexually, so-…

…so, it all ceased to matter as they entered the bedroom, the door shutting softly behind them as Hannibal stepped up behind him, his front flush to Will's back, hard cock pressed through layers of clothing right against Will's backside as the older man wrapped two strong arms around Will's waist in a firm hold and mouthed a few soft kisses along the side of his neck.

It was so, so easy to relax back into Hannibal's warm body and his close embrace, and Will did exactly that, tilting his head to the side so Hannibal could have more access to his neck. It had come to be easy for Will to close his eyes and let Hannibal take control, to focus primarily on trying not to breathe or moan too loudly as Hannibal touched him; the Doctor's hands bunching the moss green shirt hem into his fists as he drew it up, only to release it and slide those hot wide hands over Will's abdomen, downward until Hannibal's fingertips skirted just beneath the waistband of his shorts…and then stopped.

Hannibal then pressed a kiss to the bright pink shell of his ear and asked,

"What do you want, Will?"

 _'_ _Fuck.'_ was Will's immediate thought and he exhaled shakily as the shirt fell back down to bunch up and hang over Hannibal's hands now firmly settled low on his hips. That question was beginning to irritate him, even though he knew the only reason Hannibal even asked was because a while back he'd opened his stupid mouth and spewed a bunch of asinine insecurities about feeling like the _female-esque_ partner in their relationship.

Even that evening, angry as he'd been at the time, he'd known he sounded ridiculous saying what he'd said, because never once in all the years since he'd known Hannibal had the man feminized him in anyway, least of all since they'd started sleeping together. And Hannibal had never given any indication that he expected Will to take such a position, not physically or otherwise. Hell, even from before the first time they'd been together, Will had _expected_ to be the one penetrated; he'd even prepared himself for it, despite how invasive and awkward using an enema had been. And each time that had followed after that, Will had not mentioned wanting anything different…because he hadn't.

Honestly, the bulk of the anger he'd felt that night, had been directed at himself for climbing into Hannibal's lap the way that he had, he'd been angry at himself for how easily it had come to him to do so, no influence or coercion of any kind driving him other than his own interests and wants.

He'd wrongfully blamed it on Hannibal to avoid blaming himself, because he'd expected Hannibal to prove his accusation right and make his own issues moot, but then Hannibal had gone ahead and put everything on the table between them, and had since done so each time they came to a sexual situation.

And Will appreciated it, he **really** did, but just as it hadn't been something he wanted then, it wasn't something he wanted now, and probably not for a long time…because the fact of the matter was, he wasn't ready for that.

He wasn't ready to become intimately acquainted with _that_ particular area of Hannibal's body yet, not any more than he was ready to put his mouth anywhere near Hannibal's penis. He wanted to be able to do those things **eventually** , but he didn't know how long it'd take for him to be ready for that. As it was, he hadn't even been able to touch himself _that_ invasively, because even after Hannibal had done it, the idea of putting his own fingers into himself still fucking weirded him out.

He knew he'd get there, just like he'd worked his way up to sleeping with Hannibal in the first place, he just needed time.

"Will?" Hannibal's voice was concerned in that way it usually became when Hannibal thought he was hesitating, but his breath was a warm comfort against Will's ear, effectively bringing him back from his overcomplicated and frustrating thoughts. He blinked a few times when he finally opened his eyes and because words remained his weakest option, he opted for action rather.

And just as he'd made all of his choices before, he did so again, walking forward and out of Hannibal's hold, large hands sliding from his hips as he walked across the bedroom to the foot of the bed where he stopped and turned to look at Hannibal, who immediately came toward him. Hannibal cupped his face in his hands and kissed him then, and Will responded as eagerly as he felt the need to, having come to enjoy the feeling of Hannibal's mouth on his own, Hannibal's tongue sliding past his lips, stroking over his own tongue with sureness and skill that made Will seek to prolong their kisses.

He'd always liked kissing…and now, he specifically liked kissing Hannibal. He didn't even mind anymore when Hannibal got carried away and forgot to give him a chance to properly take a breath, because the passion and need of those kisses also made him feel good.

He still had some trouble with directing things however, and Hannibal, who always held back at first, needed to be given a plain and clear go ahead before he'd take the reins from Will, so Will often had to work up the courage to say or do something blatantly to show Hannibal he could take over.

Presently, breathless and with his lips softly swelling under Hannibal's kisses, the Doctor's hands sliding from his face downward to hold his neck instead, Hannibal was keeping his touches to such appropriate places after having done the opposite in the kitchen earlier, and Will realized it was time for him to push Hannibal's buttons to get him properly going.

So Will reached for the hem of the black pull-over sweater Hannibal was wearing and he pulled and pushed it up, despite his hands shaking, and he made sure to run one hand up along the smooth skin and firm muscle of Hannibal's right flank, to reciprocate touch, because that was important. Even though it made him feel awkward to touch Hannibal's body, another man's body, not really knowing how and where was best to inspire and provoke arousal. Not even that he necessarily needed to, since Hannibal tended to have zero problems getting it up, but Will still made the effort, because he knew the emotionality behind it was what mattered.

Hannibal lifted his arms once Will had pushed his shirt up high enough, pulling back from the kiss to reach back to pull it over and off his head in a way that Will did himself, but had never thought he'd find attractive to watch. And _Christ_ , the fact that he liked Hannibal's chest hair still made blood rush to his face, and the awkwardness of it all was the _only_ thing that kept him from running his hands through it.

Will was staring at the tendons of Hannibal's neck without realizing it, his gaze trailing over the line of Hannibal's shoulders and collar bone and the hair on his chest and he swallowed thickly, feeling Hannibal breathing heavily against his forehead, the older man's body radiating heat and his hands settling with intense patience on Will's shoulders as he _waited_ for Will to give him another green-light.

It made him want to snap at Hannibal to stop _waiting_ , but then, that would be the exact opposite of not getting ahead of himself. Smiling in disbelief at his self-created dilemma, Will leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the front of Hannibal's throat, feeling the man tilt his head back just so and his Adam's bob subtly beneath Will's lips.

Will wasn't the one who usually did the amorous kissing anywhere besides on the mouth, but recently he'd been wanting to, more and more, so he did, kissing at Hannibal's throat and under his jaw, breathing heavily all the while, trying to let go of his hang ups, his ridiculous stops and starts.

Hannibal dipped his head after only a few kisses though, distracting Will from his circular thoughts by pressing an urgent kiss to his jaw before sliding and slotting their mouths back together, their lips parting in a wide, slick-tongued kiss that sent heat chasing through Will's abdomen and settling in his groin with a weighty tug. Immediately his nerves slipped away a little more as his cock gained more and more rigidity, and he slid hasty hands, grazing fingers and knuckles, down over Hannibal's chest and abdomen, to where he began to unfasten the button and zipper of Hannibal's dark pants.

Hannibal bit Will's lip lightly then, his hands sliding down Will's arms as he drew back from the kiss again,

"Will-…" Will kissed him again and Hannibal followed it eagerly before speaking against his lips, "…what do you want?" he breathed out again, and that time Will, feeling more confident and more aroused, said what he wanted,

"I want it like before, Hannibal." he kissed Hannibal again, swallowing a quiet gruff moan from the Doctor when he heard Will say his name, and that made Will feel bolder still. So he moved back half a step so he felt the bed behind him and he raised his hands, grabbing Hannibal's shoulder and behind his neck and pulling the older man down with him as he sat and then lied back on the bed.

Hannibal followed easily, catching himself above Will with his hands pressed into the mattress as Will let his legs fall open for Hannibal to settle there, the older man's weight and the width of his narrow hips between his thighs feeling just as good as Will remembered from each time they did this. And Hannibal seemed to have finally reached his breaking point, because he wasn't holding back for the moment, kissing Will fervently, both hands grasping at him, pushing the green shirt up at the same time as his other hand slid into Will's boxer shorts, pushing them down while Hannibal also caressed his thigh.

Will was fully hard by the time his underwear was completely off and he could feel that Hannibal was too, and this was where his inhibitions and anxiousness were finally losing their grip completely, as Hannibal's hand slipped between his legs and Hannibal's mouth moved down his throat and to his chest after his shirt came up and off. And Will could hear himself start to make little breathy moans and noises as his nipples were kissed and sucked and Hannibal's fingers slid behind his balls, over his perineum and lightly, slowly, tenderly, caressed lower.

Will couldn't help the tense little start his body gave at the sensitive area being touched, still not entirely used to it, but still amazed by how he felt about it. He could never have guessed how much he'd enjoy being touched there; having his anus stimulated, being fingered, being fucked.

At first it'd really freaked him out how much he'd liked it, but that had been eclipsed by the physical aftermath of anal sex, which had scared him; he'd felt ashamed by it, weakened somehow, emasculated and he'd even felt a little violated. But Hannibal hadn't violated him, every touch and kiss had been driven with purpose to give pleasure, to show reverence, and then when it had been over, he'd actually left Will alone to give him space to get his head around it all.

He'd needed that space though, and by the time Will had showered and lied down that night, the feeling of being exposed and used had been dulled and muted by the recent memory of pleasure, of Hannibal's touches and kisses, all the need and affection and _love_ he'd felt from Hannibal. All genuine and all for him. He'd cleared his head fairly quickly then…

…and his head was clearing quickly now.

And in that clarity, his eyes eased open, only to flutter shut again when Hannibal sucked up and off his left nipple and then abruptly pushed himself up and off of Will, getting to his feet. Will blinked dazedly, breathing deeply and watching in snatches between languid blinks as Hannibal made his way around the bed to his nightstand. He knew that Hannibal was going to get a condom and their lubricant, and with the insteps of his feet hooked on the very edge of the large bed, his body arched and stretched as the thought of what was to come sent a pleasant shiver of arousal and heat through him, making his cock bounce and leak slightly where it lay fully hard against his abdomen, his breath hitching softly.

He opened his eyes again just in time to see Hannibal return to the foot of the bed and Will swallowed thickly when he saw and felt the overwhelming and raw –and sometimes desperate- love and need in Hannibal's gaze, as the Doctor's auburn eyes trailed over his arching, stretching body. And he watched as Hannibal's gaze dropped to look between his legs, to where he was exposed, practically on display with his legs open. Will pursed his lips, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply as he felt the heat of a furious blush prickle his skin with a sheen of sweat as it covered his chest, neck, face and ears in a florid shade of red.

He fleetingly considered that not long ago he would have felt more self-conscious about Hannibal looking at his most intimate places with such blatant appreciation, desire and hunger, but now the flush of his skin was only one part self-consciousness and two parts stimulated and excited.

He wasn't given a chance to wonder at that though, because Hannibal touched him smoothly and fluently, Will opening his eyes and looking down only when he felt one large hand sliding down along inside his right thigh, sensual and firm and just right, because even in sex Hannibal seemed to know exactly what to do, when and where and how.

Hannibal had dropped to his knees without a sound and after a quick sucking kiss to Will's inner thigh, next Hannibal was licking a broad stroke up the length of his cock and Will's eyes slid shut again, his head pressing back into the mattress. And he let out a long half breath, half moan when Hannibal took his erection into his mouth and swallowed it down, all the way down, so Will felt the wet head of his cock slide and press into the heated, slick curve of Hannibal's throat.

He couldn't help a small thrust of his hips, and he felt bad when the older man gagged around him, but he knew from the past two blowjobs he'd received that Hannibal didn't mind, so Will could hardly feel bad for very long when the constriction of Hannibal's throat around the head of his cock felt **so** good.

It felt so good that Will didn't even know how long he laid there with Hannibal sucking and bobbing along his cock, and he loved that he was able to become so blissed out, that he could submerge himself in the pleasure Hannibal gave him, back arching subtly off the mattress, one set of knuckles turning white as he gripped the bed covers while his other alternated between hesitantly touching Hannibal's soft, silky hair to sliding up and down his own torso in absent caresses as he breathed loudly and moaned softly, twitching and tensing, muscles flexing with each surge of pleasure rushing through him.

He was not too far from coming when Hannibal stopped, sucking up and off slowly and panting hotly against Will's throbbing, spit damp cock for a moment before Will heard the cap of the lube pop open. He felt another shock of anticipatory excitement then, expecting to feel Hannibal's lubed fingers touch him immediately, but then a loud moan was abruptly pulled from him as Hannibal casually tongued one of his testicles into his mouth and gently sucked on it.

Will wanted more of that and he quickly spread his legs wider –another thing that had become easier to do-, to the point where it felt like it was a sensual invitation that only he could ever offer, and only to Hannibal. His sensitive sac was given ample attention then, and Hannibal had also brought one hand up to wrap around his cock and stroke it slowly up and down as he mouthed, licked and sucked from one testicle to the other.

Will was vaguely aware of his body movements, his slight writhing under Hannibal's ministrations, his eyes fluttering open and closed, breaths short, high and tight and his balls getting firmer in Hannibal's mouth. He was deeply immersed in each stroke along his cock, legs spread shamelessly wide and he was more than ready to come already, when through the haze of pleasure he registered hot, damp breath exhaled directly against his asshole.

He couldn't help that he blanched, abruptly shocked and _mortified_ at Hannibal's mouth being so close to him _there_. And his panic manifested in a full body jerk, his right foot –the closest appendage he had to stop Hannibal- landing with a firm flat jabbing press against the Doctor's collar bone and shoulder as he pushed himself up onto one elbow, while his other hand flew down to pointlessly cover the space between his legs as he drew them together slightly.

That was the closest Hannibal had come, with his mouth, to Will's asshole, and it made the flush now searing over his skin almost uncomfortable in its intensity.

"Hannibal…" he breathed out, not even sure what to say about how _wrong_ the idea of Hannibal's mouth there made him feel, and he couldn't even manage eye contact with Hannibal right then, but he was spared having to say anything more because Hannibal spoke,

"I wasn't going to, I am aware that you don't want that." he spoke in an arousal gruff voice, pressing a kiss to the nearest patch of skin his lips found on Will's left thigh, and Will relaxed a fraction, until Hannibal added quietly, "Tempted though I am." whispered hotly against his skin.

Hannibal settled his hands on Will's thighs then and pressed a few more kisses to the inside of his thigh, trailing his nose along the skin and inhaling softly, but Will was stuck processing the Doctor's words. He'd wondered after the first time they'd had sex, whether when he'd felt Hannibal going further down between his legs, that that had been what he'd been intending to do, and now he had his answer.

He knew what it was, that it was called rimming; it'd featured in a fair amount of the gay pornography he'd watched and the texts he'd read on homosexual intercourse between two men in the years before he and Hannibal had first slept together. And of the various sexual acts and positions he'd read up on and watched play out in HD quality, there were a few that Will had found no appeal in, and rimming was one of them.

But now…what Hannibal had said…

"You've done that before, to a man?" Will breathed out, and perhaps it was the tone of his voice or maybe he had an expression on his face, but when Hannibal looked up at him, head rising sharply, Will noted that he suddenly looked…worried.

Will watched Hannibal's Adam's apple bob noticeably, and watched the man _hesitate_ before he nodded once,

"Yes, to a select few of my previous lovers, men and women." he answered, and Will knew he was being honest but it still shocked him, especially when Hannibal said _women_ too.

Perhaps he just hadn't had a particularly explorative sex life, but none of the few women he'd slept with had ever asked him for that. Sure, they'd all wanted him to go down on them, but never that far down…but then, would they have asked? Would they have minded? Was Will just too prudish to have considered it? He hadn't, never even once. Was it even a thing?

Everything these days was a thing though, so it stood to reason that yes, there would be women who would like it.

Men who would like it. They'd certainly liked it in the porn. It'd looked wrong though, to him, but objectively…he realized it was probably a very intimate thing to share if it was with a partner who you loved, just as blowjobs and cunnilingus were. Just as penetrative sex was when shared with someone you love; intimate, vulnerable, meaningful, pleasurable.

He'd never thought of doing it himself, and he doubted whether he ever could, even for a woman, let alone a man, but Hannibal wanted it, Hannibal would probably find it pleasurable and intimate to do to him…maybe, maybe he should…

Will felt his face contort in a frown as his thoughts ricocheted around his head, making him feel like it was just too much, and his upper lip curled almost unconsciously as he narrowed his eyes at Hannibal,

"Alana?" he spat. He hadn't intended to sound so harsh, but it came out that way.

"Will-…"

" **Bedelia!**? that time he sounded angrier and even a little disgusted.

"Will, why does it matter-…?" Hannibal tried again, but Will felt ridiculously upset about it, and with a harsh exhale he pushed himself away from Hannibal, moving himself up the bed, closing himself off physically as much as he could and he immediately regretted it because when he glanced at Hannibal he saw a flash of pain and rejection in the man's eyes.

But Hannibal, as he always did, closed off emotionally and then he just looked tense and expressionless as he stood up at the foot of the bed, still clothed save for his shirt. Will was expecting him to say something that he could use to make sense of his own reaction, just like he'd expected Hannibal to do a few weeks before, but this time Hannibal _didn't_.

The older man simply sighed, louder than he usually would, and then tossed the open, yet unused lube and condom onto the bed and leaned down to pick up his shirt off the floor before turning to leave the room.

Will watched him walk across the room to the door and then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and admitted,

"It doesn't matter." because it didn't, Will knew himself well enough to know that he'd been freaked out by the likely extent of Hannibal's sexual experience, and what that could mean for everything Hannibal probably wanted to explore with him and Will was terrified by how easily his personal _objections_ to certain things became _reconsiderations_ when he thought about pleasing Hannibal and Hannibal pleasing him and being happy.

He was freaking out and trying _again_ to make it Hannibal's fault.

Will didn't like his own behavior, he did not want it to become a habit, a failsafe for him to fall back on, because he had no reason to be defensive and secretive. Hannibal wasn't manipulating him, wasn't being sly or deceptive about anything. They were beyond that sort of thing.

Hannibal had stopped at the door, facing away, the line of his shoulders tense and rigid and Will knew he had to be the one to make this right. After all, in the twisted perspective of their relationship and their relationships with others, from years before and even now, Hannibal technically had the last right to be angry at Will for getting married and taking on an instant family.

If he'd simply had girlfriends, or even just a long term relationship, Will knew it wouldn't have been nearly the same level of betrayal as what he'd done. For fucks sake, Will was angry about Hannibal having been a fake husband to Bedelia under false names, and his empathy was deep reaching enough to imagine the pain and betrayal that Hannibal must have felt at him having been married for _real_ and having made the commitment of raising a child with the woman he'd married.

He knew he was wrong to be redirecting his insecurities into anger at Hannibal, so he knew what he had to say,

"I'm sorry." he sighed, "I freaked out." he admitted quietly and his expression softened with the feeling of his contriteness as he watched Hannibal turn around to face him. Despite being naked and feeling less confident, fully aware of how the cool air in the room prickled the light sheen of sweat clinging to his sensitive skin and half hard cock, he forced himself past the returning nervousness and did something he hadn't yet done in front of Hannibal; he got off the side of the bed and walked around the bed and across the room to the older man just as he was.

Hannibal watched him, his unreadable expression easing away as he watched Will approach him, looking at him in the way that made Will feel heady with the obvious reverence, want and need. It made him bold enough that when he came to stand in front of the Doctor he leaned up and pressed a sound, sticking kiss to his lips, smiling softly when he drew back and Hannibal followed after his mouth, the older man's eyes having slipped closed.

How this man loved him. How Hannibal had _always_ loved him.

Hannibal deserved more than manipulation and lies after so much time and so many struggles. They both did.

Will's smile faded slightly but he took a breath and made eye contact as he admitted,

"You've done things with lovers that I…" he raised his eyebrows and paused, shivering when Hannibal dropped the shirt he'd been holding to lightly slide his hot hands down Will's sides, making Will lean into him, "…that I don't know if I'll ever want you to do to me." he finished with another sigh.

Hannibal's own more refined sigh, which sounded like a delicate exhalation, followed Will's,

"And I have told you many times that I do not want anything from you that you don't want to give or share." his fingers idly caressed lower to Will's hips, such distracted but sensual touches making Will's skin heat up and prickle with gooseflesh.

He unconsciously leaned even closer, and then consciously slid his hands from Hannibal's forearms to the older man's shoulders, pleased when Hannibal looked delighted at the light caress. Will liked it to, that'd it'd felt natural to put his hands on Hannibal for once, and he wished they could just pick up where they left off, but just as buried bodies tended to, buried problems would eventually be dug up and uncovered. Steeling himself, he squeezed Hannibal's broad shoulder's just so and inhaled the clean sweat, musk and familiarly pleasant cologne scent of the Doctor,

"I know you say that but-…."

"But you don't believe me?" Hannibal's tone of voice sounded weary, "You think I'd lie about it, to both myself and you?"

Will was shaking his head before Hannibal even finished,

"I believe you would do as you say," he glanced down and then looked up at Hannibal from a downward angle, not directly meeting his gaze, "but I think you'd resent me for it in the long run."

"I wouldn't-…"

"For the infrequency with which we have sex," he cut Hannibal off, "for when I have personal hang ups about my previous heterosexual status, for every time you use your mouth on me knowing I can't bring myself to do the same to you," he leaned forward and pressed his face against the front of Hannibal's throat, feeling his own throat tightening up at voicing these concerns that Hannibal had been letting slide, "or when I can't bring myself to let you use your mouth on me in other ways…" he trailed off then, just leaning against Hannibal, naked as he was with Hannibal half clothed and Hannibal's arms now around his torso. He felt safe, kept close.

There was silence for a moment and Will wondered whether he was about to be psychoanalyzed from a dizzy height, which he braced himself for just in case. But then Hannibal, pressing his mouth into Will's hair, proceeded to do as he had been doing a lot in the past several years; he went straight to the point,

"I was content to be in an asexual relationship with you for the rest of our finite lives, Will." he spoke softly, honestly, his voice strained with affection and raw emotion, "I was not waiting for anything and I had no expectations beyond having you by my side, as a part of my life." Will turned his head but remained tucked there, under Hannibal's chin, opening his eyes as he listened with his own emotions clutching as his throat, "I don't resent you for that, not then and not now and I never will," Hannibal paused and pressed a kiss to Will's temple, "especially not for keeping something to yourself that is only yours to share if you so chose to." he said softly, "What you've already given me of yourself…"

He trailed off the because Will had heard enough and he drew back, breathing heavily as he trailed his open mouth up from Hannibal's neck, over his jaw and to his mouth to seal their lips together in a firm kiss. His mind and senses were quiet and calm finally, and Hannibal's warmth and closeness was infectious and arousing and he **loved** this man, and this man loved him. And Will was craving physical intimacy in that moment, the kind that he knew only Hannibal could provide for him, so he kissed Hannibal with the intent to show him and to incite him, and Hannibal returned the kiss in kind, the sounds of their wet, wide kisses punctuated by their breathing.

With his mind clear it all became so much easier.

Their kisses led them back to the foot of the bed, and when Will again felt his legs come into contact with the bed, he drew back from the kiss to turn around and grab the lube for Hannibal, leaning over the bed slightly to reach it. And then instead of turning back around, he reached back to hand Hannibal the lube before he bent over completely, forearms on the bed covers, legs spread and ass in the air.

He flushed violently at his own _boldness_ , but holy fuck if the honest abandonment and the low, weighted moan of his name from Hannibal that followed didn't go straight to his cock and make his renewed erection bob in the air where it hung between his legs.

Hannibal truly appreciated what Will was _giving_ him now, he knew that by the slow, slick and thorough -leg shaking, breath stuttering, pleasure saturated- fingering that came next, not just prep for penetration, but for all intents and purposes a god damned prostate massage. Hannibal had him desperate for a hand on his cock as he slid those long fingers in and out purposefully, but Will knew he'd come too quickly if he jerked himself off so he settled for reaching between his legs and occasionally stroking his balls and squeezing the base of his erection while Hannibal worked one, two and then three fingers inside of him, making the sensitive nerves lining the walls of his anus and rectum tingle with sensation.

Will was having a hard time closing his mouth on moans and pants to catch his breath by the time Hannibal had torn open the condom packaging and was rolling the contraceptive onto his cock, and he had to brace himself again with both forearms on the bed when Hannibal finally entered him, pressing the blunt wide head of his cock slowly and steadily against Will's relaxed sphincter muscles until they gave completely, accepting –and enjoying- the intrusion, the ache and stretch of taking Hannibal inside him again as he shivered through sparks of pleasure.

It was a unique feeling, being anally penetrated, yes, but the initial penetration specifically always made him moan, like he couldn't help it. Aside from the way his nerves reacted to the friction and stretch of it, the weight of Hannibal's cock passing over and then resting against his prostate when he was fully sheathed was enough to send trembles into Will's legs, heat up his spine and pre-come leaking from his erection.

Will's eyes had been closed, but they fluttered open when Hannibal leaned over, his body draped over Will's back and a hand pressing into the mattress beside his right forearm as the Doctor began to press and suck kisses against the back of his neck and his shoulders, Hannibal's left hand squeezing his hip intermittently between caressing up and down and under, over the left side of Will's torso and down over his thigh.

The amalgamation of sensation was often overwhelming but not remotely unwelcome, Will just had to breathe deeply and center himself, had to become used to the way his body felt, how the inside of him clutched and spasmed around Hannibal's length moving inside, Hannibal's course pubic hair prickling against his skin with the subtle forward presses Hannibal's hips were making against his backside.

"Is this alright?" Hannibal asked, as Will had kind of expected he would.

Will appreciated that he did, and he didn't hesitate to lift his head enough to nod, before he dropped it again to hang between his arms.

With Will's confirmation, Hannibal began to move properly then, in the way Will liked it –yes, he _liked_ it-, close and deep and medium paced, because of the consistent rubbing, nudging, pressing weight of Hannibal's cock over –and over and over- against his prostate when the older man did it like that, Hannibal's sex barely leaving his body.

The pleasure was constant, the stretch was constant, the closeness was constant.

Those were the things Will had come to want.

He clutched the untidied bed covers with a white knuckled grip as he once again began moaning and panting with each punctuated bump and roll of Hannibal's hips against his ass; his eyes clenched shut, mouth hanging open and toes curling against the smooth wooden flooring beneath his bare feet.

And Hannibal never stopped kissing and caressing, whether he was standing up straight, running his hands over Will's body or leaning over Will and sucking wet kisses into his sweating skin, Hannibal _never_ stopped touching.

Will breathed out Hannibal's name, not entirely unconscious of doing it but rather giving into the feeling of wanting to do so, and Hannibal reacted viscerally, moaning and thrusting harder, their skin smacking together a little louder for it. Will lost his voice then, panting out and sucking in breaths and curses and broken strained sounds at hitching intervals, as he often couldn't get a sound out when the pleasure from prostate stimulation overwhelmed him, when Hannibal was _nailing_ it just right.

He'd never known it could feel so good, he'd never known there was such a vast difference between stimulation to his cock and stimulation to the prostate. Jerking off was direct and easy pleasure, but prostate stimulation was like pleasure trapped inside of him that was released in increments with every thrust until the damn was too full and everything overflowed _everywhere_.

"Aaah, Christ…" Will's balance was wobbly as he put his weight on one arm to reach his other hand between his legs and squeeze his weeping, achingly stiff cock. He was able to hold on longer than the first few times, but the assault of pleasure was coming up as too much very quickly and he felt like his knees were going to buckle.

He didn't know how Hannibal knew it, if he sensed it or saw it –as Will knew he was barely gasping and had to be red in his face as he trembled beneath the older man- but however it was, Hannibal pressed in once more firmly, punching a breath out of Will, before he stopped thrusting and held still.

Able to take a breath after two tries, Will moaned brokenly and softly and then pressed his lips together to quiet himself, only to hum a few times as the residual pleasure tugged at his lower abdomen and made his cock twitch.

He felt this way every time and it still stunned him and made a mess of him. He was breathing heavily through his nose as Hannibal kissed sloppily along his spine, the Doctor exhaling hot breath against his sweaty skin as it slowly occured to Will that his legs might give out because they were shaking pretty badly.

"Are you uncomfortable," Hannibal spoke raspily against his skin, "in this position?"

Will was grateful Hannibal had asked so he hadn't had to say so, since he wasn't really sure he'd sound anything less that slurred and/or whiny, so he just lifted his head a little and managed a nod.

Hannibal pulled out then, gently enough, but as he leaned forward more to put his forehead on his forearm, Will still grimaced because the gaping, compromised feeling of his asshole left in the wake of Hannibal's cock leaving his body never failed to scare him a little.

After the first time they'd had sex, Will had been unreasonably worried it'd never feel the same again, never feel closed and firm and reassuringly tight as it should, and he'd been clenching himself constantly and blushing in isolated humiliation over the entire thing that night. But after a while it had gone back to normal, his asshole had tightened right back up, and while he wasn't sure the first time how long it took because he'd fallen asleep, after the second time, it had been just over an hour when he'd realized he felt quite normal again. And each time since, the same thing had happened, it was almost like his body was getting used to penetration and becoming limber in that area somehow.

It still made him blush to think about it, and still disturbed him on some level, but it no longer scared him or made him worried, since he figured as long as nothing tore or got damaged then he'd be fine.

Hannibal was still lathering his skin with kisses, and it seemed he was just waiting until Will had sufficiently caught his breath before he placed a large hand on Will's hip and curled one around his chest to pull him up and help him stand so he was leaning back against the Doctor. Will chose to turn around in his arms and capture Hannibal's lips in a sweat damp and sticking kiss, that led to a languid open mouthed, tongue filled few more kisses which had Hannibal sliding grasping hands over his skin and grunting softly in appreciation.

Will was still pretty dazed and his cock was so hard, he really wanted to come, so when Hannibal gently directed him to sit and then told him to lie back at the foot of the bed, he did so without hesitation or question, his mind blissfully clear of doubt or nerves. He drew his legs up off the floor and Hannibal grabbed his left one behind the knee and his right leg by the ankle and Will watched then as Hannibal kissed and kissed and kissed along his legs, from the ankle on his right leg to his left calf two, three times, then back to his right leg to kiss his knee and down and down and Will felt every second of anticipation building up, just as Hannibal was intending.

Hannibal kissed over Will's cock and stomach and sternum, chest and nipples and throat and chin and by the time their mouths met again, Hannibal had Will's legs hitched on his broad shoulders and the older man was sliding into him again. Will moaned again, right into Hannibal's open mouth, not only because of the penetration but also because his thighs were against his chest and knees over his shoulders and for someone like him who wasn't particularly physically flexible, new muscles were being strained.

"Fuck." Will breathed out, and then he pressed his head back into the mattress and moaned when Hannibal started the same close, hard bumping thrusts that really fucked him up good. The position was new and the penetrative pressure intense and Will grabbed blindly for Hannibal's arms for leverage as he was jarred just so against the bed with every smacking staccato thrust. Hannibal found his mouth again and for a moment as they fucked, Will found himself making and holding direct eye contact with Hannibal as they panted into each other's mouths between kisses. That was new.

He'd thought doing such a thing would freak him out, but instead it turned him on for all of the earnest affection and intense lust in the older man's eyes and when he did close his eyes again it was so he could kiss Hannibal more eagerly, feeling the man's tongue curling and sliding along his own between their hot shared breaths, Will's little pleasured noises and Hannibal's equally pleasured huffs and grunts.

Will had no idea how long it went on, at some point it all blurred inside of the heat and sweat of the bodies, the pleasured ache and strain of his muscles, the sounds of the sex, their breathing, kissing, moans and sliding, squelching slick place where they were connected, the tight coiling, pulsing pleasure building up in his balls, behind them and deep _inside_.

It felt so fucking good, so good Will felt like he was overheating, toes clenching in the air as his orgasm started to come on almost abruptly, leaving no time to draw it out, and at that point he was unable to focus on kissing anymore. He was coming a heartbeat later when he clutched a hand in Hannibal's hair, his eyebrows drawn high on his forehead, eyes closed and mouth uselessly open against the Doctor's as he moaned out strained and harshly, his other hand slipping into the tight semi-frictional space between their bodies to jerk himself off erratically, even as his ejaculate was already releasing on to his chest.

Will barely noticed Hannibal kissing and sucking at his mouth and neck as his orgasm ran through him, leaving him trembling and gasping with dazed pleasure. But he did feel it when the older man started fucking into him harder, faster and with longer more erratic strokes, because he felt the friction, shock and borderline painful pleasure of oversensitivity quite clearly underlining and prolonging his spectacular orgasm. It was only for an intense few long seconds though before Hannibal came with a harsh exhale, the Doctor pushing inside of him with a firm thrust and then undulated his hips continually against Will as he buried his face in Will's neck, effectively folding Will all the way in half, to stifle the gruff moans of his climax that followed.

Will was left panting and smiling and whispering a curse of astonishment over how _excellent_ he always felt after they had sex, his hand relaxing from its grip on Hannibal's hair as he awkwardly extracted his other from between their bodies. He hadn't even realized he was absently stroking his fingers through the hair at the nape of Hannibal's neck, not until the older man hummed in a deep rumble against his throat and pressed a kiss there, making Will blush and smile as he opened his eyes.

And the afterglow would probably have lasted a pleasant moment longer, except Will suddenly felt a sharp pull in his lower right leg, giving Will only a moment's warning that his calf was about to cramp up.

"Hannibal, my leg…" he huffed out, tensing his right leg against the weight of Hannibal's body, which was a bad idea in hindsight, because the cramp seized his calf immediately and the next sound out of his mouth was a yelp at the pain of it, his whole body jerking.

Hannibal moved quickly though, he was off –and out of- Will in a smooth second, the Doctor immediately on his feet, grabbing the leg that Will was clutching at,

"Cramp?" he asked, Will nodding stiffly as Hannibal placed one hand on the tensing muscle of Will's calf and the other splayed and braced against the underside of his foot, straightening his leg out and putting pressure to set Will's foot so it was at a right angle to his shin.

Of course, Will was at the very edge of the bed and had nothing to hold onto, so even if he hadn't been grasping his right thigh in dramatic agony, when Hannibal pulled his leg out to stretch it, it was inevitable that he rather easily slid right off the bed. Having quick reflexes, Hannibal tried to catch his fall at least, but even though he lurched down and managed to wrap his arms around Will's lower back, their weights were too unbalanced and Hannibal fell to his knees while Will wound up landing on his shoulders with a bassy thud against the wooden floor, narrowly missing to bump his head too and taking some of the bed covers as well the lube bottle down with him.

The entire clumsy mess happened in seconds, and the moment it was over, Will let his head fall back onto the bed covers lying on the floor and he _laughed_. He couldn't even help himself honestly, the laughter came from deep inside him, completely fond and free and open and real, feeling so genuinely amused at the ridiculous situation; Hannibal and him in a naked pile on the floor of their bedroom after incredible sex, gravity thwarting them with its ironic punch line to conclude it all.

So he laughed, he laughed and he enjoyed being able to, and he enjoyed that Hannibal was smiling too as he leaned over Will, and then when his leg cramped up again and he groaned –still laughing- Hannibal began chuckling as he immediately set to stretching and massaging the cramp out of Will's leg once and for all.

Will had tears of mirth in his eyes by the time the cramp was finally gone, but when he placed his hands on the floor and pulled himself to sit up, he looked over Hannibal where he was kneeling partially between his legs, and Will saw that the condom was still clinging to Hannibal's mostly soft cock, the sight of which set him off laughing again.

Christ, the whole thing was so awfully silly. How had this happened?

It wasn't bad though, because despite their clumsiness, they were both smiling and suddenly being naked on the floor with Hannibal didn't make him feel self-conscious at all. In fact, when he finally managed to stop chuckling, he sat there smiling, waiting as Hannibal removed and tied off the condom before he reached out, pulling the older man toward him as he leaned back against the foot of the bed. And the Doctor came to him, balanced on his knees and hands, eagerly meeting Will's smiling mouth in a happy and rather fluffy kiss, followed by a few more lingering sweet smiling kisses.

Will's heart was racing for the emotional reaction he had to the moment.

He'd never have imagined he could have this, any of it, with Hannibal Lecter.

Will's face was flushed when the kisses, which had turned deep and sensual after a while, drew to a natural end, but he wasn't surprised since he spent a lot of time blushing around Hannibal since they'd started sleeping together. Hannibal never really blushed, but his fluster would come through in a subtle flare of his nostrils or when he blinked one too many times in a row. Will knew him well enough to know those little details.

Will knew him…and loved him.

Hannibal was blinking a few times too many presently and Will slid his hand down from the back of Hannibal's neck over the man's chest, right over where his heart rested inside, before he let his hand fall away, the touch having been just to confirm for himself that Hannibal's heart rate was elevated, just as his own was. The man mutilated victims while they were still alive without his heart rate increasing, and yet this small, silly moment made his heart race. And _that_ made Will feel closer to and more in love with Hannibal in ways he didn't think the older man would even understand.

They'd been quietly staring into each other's faces, their breaths mingling and smiles faded, but expressions still pleasant and warm and affectionate. Eventually, Hannibal broke the comfortable silence first,

"Are you alright?" he asked –always asked-, as he ran a caressing hand over Will's stretched out right leg.

Will smiled again, toothily and honest as he nodded,

"Yes, I'm great actually, thank you." he huffed out in soft laughter. And just because he could he placed his hand on Hannibal's chest again, stroking up to collar bone and down into the hair on his chest with splayed fingers in a caress of his own, swallowing audibly and feeling his ears heat again as he boldly touched and then proceeded to boldly offer, "I'm gonna' take a bath," he met Hannibal's gaze dead on with half-lidded eyes as his smile softened, "if you want to join me?"

He witnessed again up close then, as he had only a few times in the last few years, how just his words alone held so much power over and how deeply he could affect the man before him. The internationally feared serial killer; Il Monstro, The Chesapeake Ripper, intelligent 'psychopath', sadistic, cannibalistic Doctor Hannibal Lecter smiled at him in a heartbreakingly vulnerable way, his eyes shining quickly with feeling and possibly moisture as he regarded Will, and he swallowed thickly as he inclined his head, exhaling a rush of breath over Will's lips when his smile widened and he nodded, his eyes sliding shut as he quietly said,

"Absolutely, yes," leaning his forehead against Will's, "I would love to join you." he added.

Will felt his own chest tighten up with the genuine emotion he sensed in Hannibal and he nodded, closing the gap between their lips to press another soft kiss to Hannibal's mouth before he leaned back and licked his own lips absently,

"I'll, uh, run a bath for us?" it was partially a question, as his nerves started to prick up, his boldness fading. He honestly couldn't wait for the nerves to disappear altogether one day. But for right now, he felt like he was doing very well, and he felt _very_ happy and secure which was important. Hannibal made him happy.

"Certainly," Hannibal nodded again and then he took Will's hand from where it was pressed to his chest, kissed his palm and stood up in all of his naked, confident glory, tugging Will up after him. And for once Will didn't feel pointlessly bashful about his nudity as he stood naked with Hannibal, who released his hand to hold his face, kissing him sensually.

This was also new, Will hadn't done anything but fall asleep not long after having penetrative sex the past few times, but he was discovering that he liked trying new things, and he hadn't yet been disappointed. Even right then, standing in the aftermath of sex, his body achy in new places from having been in a new position, his skin blotchy from grasping and caressing, lips swollen from kissing and his limbs weak from exertion and pleasure, he felt interested to try something newer still.

Hannibal ended the kiss that time and he gave Will's hands something to do for a moment when he interlocked their fingers and brought their joined hands up to his mouth so Hannibal could kiss his fingers and the backs of hands, stopping to speak against the skin there,

"I'll be along in a moment, I'm going to tidy up here first." he glanced at the mess on the floor around them; the bed covers, the strewn clothes, the lube, ripped condom wrapper and the used tied off condom.

Will just nodded, licking his lips and tasting their mixed saliva and sweat and Hannibal's aftershave and he hoped Hannibal wouldn't be too long because he didn't want to lose his cool or his nerve. Thinking of Hannibal leaving him for too long made Will think of the fact that they'd left Francesca alone downstairs for the last hour and he raised his eyebrows,

"Uh, Francesca…" was all he managed to say before Hannibal nodded and released his hands,

"I'll check on her, you go ahead." he gestured to the bathroom, "Go ahead and relax." he added, and then he set about clearing up the clothes on the floor.

Not seeing any reason to protest, since Hannibal had a penchant for being doting and taking care of him, Will just turned and walked on exertion-tired legs to the en-suite, and he was tempted to glance behind him because his instincts told him that Hannibal was watching him walk away, but Will forced himself to let the man have his eye-full in peace.

It made him blush though and once he was in the bathroom where Hannibal couldn't see him, he inhaled deeply and quietly and tried to smother the flattered and pleased smile that threatened to take over his face, because he knew Hannibal loved the sight of him, naked or clothed or half clothed. It made him pause and glance at himself in the large mirrors, just as he'd done a few hours earlier, and he catalogued the differences and similarities of his appearance from earlier and right then. He still looked healthy and clear skinned, but there was an even healthier flush to his skin now and his hair was a mess, and instead of well-rested he looked well-fucked, which he was, mind you.

Once again needing to smother the grin that tugged at the corners of his mouth, Will walked to the large in-floor bathtub, crouching down to lean on the raised side of it so he could start the water running. It was a testament to how comfortable Will felt in their isolated home that it never fazed him that there was no covering of curtains or blinds on the large and numerous windows, beyond which was an expansive view of the mountain lands and trees that surrounded their beautiful home, all clearly visible in the mid-morning light. Will loved it there in Sweden, in Skellefteå, he loved the home and the life that he shared with the person that he loved.

He'd never had a time in his life before that was so entirely real and _beautiful_ as it was now.

Once he'd determined that the water temperature was running nicely hot but not scalding, Will stood up again and walked over to the bathroom cabinets beneath the counter, opening the relevant one to retrieve some bath products to add to the water. Will had never been a bathtub kind of guy, in the past showering had been the quickest and easiest option so he'd always showered. His bathtub back in Wolf Trap had ultimately only been used when his dogs had needed a bath and it was too cold to wash them outdoors.

But since living with Hannibal, he'd come to appreciate the difference of a long, hot soak in the bath, just as he'd come to appreciate many of the nuances of actually taking care of himself and taking time to do things he wouldn't usually do. Living in luxury was one of those things, sometimes Will would shock himself when he'd walk into a clothing store and spend a thousand dollars on three items of clothing for himself, or when he'd do grocery shopping and not even bother to check prices or how much he was accumulating in his shopping trolley, simply rolling through the aisles and picking items based on their ingredients, Hannibal's list and whether or not he wanted something. His car too, was far more expensive than anything he'd ever have purchased for himself, and of course the house itself was so big and so lavish. His life was now, in a word, decadent.

In the earlier days he managed to still be aware of it all more often, but as time went on, and he hated to admit it, he'd become accustomed to the lifestyle he was living with Hannibal. So used to it that adding fig and yarrow bath milk, Japanese green tea bubble bath and blue clay and eucalyptus soaking salts –all expensive and some imported- to the bathtub was an automatic action.

What wasn't automatic however, was that when he replaced the bath products in the cabinets after adding them to the water, Will paused to consider the row of bath scented candles neatly packed and packaged near the back. Will never lit candles for himself, and honesty he wasn't even sure if Hannibal did. But seeing as the man purchased such a thing, then surely that meant he used them, even if only occasionally, and it seemed fitting to try it now, considering they were about to take their first _couples_ bath together.

 _'_ _Whoa.'_ Will blinked rapidly, taking a quiet breath before he reached into the back and took out two of the black glass encased candles, standing up and setting the candles on the counter as he looked at his naked-self in the mirror, realizing almost abruptly that he was shocked…precisely because he wasn't freaking out or having one of those moments where he needed to pull himself towards himself.

In fact, it occurred to him right then, that the reason he'd so brazenly asked Hannibal to join him in the bath out of nowhere –having barely shared baths even when he'd been married to Molly- was because he'd genuinely, honestly wanted to. He'd wanted to extend the closeness they'd shared in the bedroom into the bathroom, and then afterwards…he decided he'd like Hannibal to join in for Francesca's afternoon walk before they came home, and then they could make lunch together, eat lunch together.

Will swallowed thickly and pursed his lips as he felt his stomach do a strange fluttering over the fact that everything that was happening, that would happen, that day and next and the next, always felt right in the end, and now it was feeling right just to think about and want it.

It all felt **right**. Will didn't even feel nervousness lingering in his subconscious right then.

The fact that he was adapting so quickly to all these things that he'd hedged around for years made him wonder if he shouldn't have waited so long to try being this way with Hannibal before.

But he stopped that train of thought before any kind of regrets over time lost could take ahold, because they'd lost so much time already as it was, and time did not reverse, so there would be no used lamenting those wasted years.

 _'_ _Maybe this the cue I've needed.'_ he thought with a slight frown as he unwrapped the individually packaged candles, _'I'm the one who wasted so many years running from everything he wanted for us, before and now…'_ he leaned over to pull open a drawer, checking for and then retrieving the candle lighter, _'…and now, the fact that it all feels so right so fast, after all my hesitating, makes me feel like it's time I stopped making him have to wait for everything.'_

He inhaled quietly and with two clicks the candles were lit and Will glanced at his reflection a final time before he turned to carry the candles to the side of the bathtub, where he crouched to set them down, leaning across the tub to turn off the water. He hadn't been running the water fast, but he noted that it'd still filled a little too deep for two grown men to sit in it without it overflowing a little, but he figured the spillage wouldn't be too much so he left it.

The bathroom was steamy now, the windows and mirrors misting up slightly and the candles had started to release a faint but pleasant floral scent which added to the already pleasantly scented hot bath water. With everything ready and Hannibal still not showing up yet, Will figured he'd get his prelim shower –yet another thing Hannibal had told him was a good idea to do before taking a long soothing bath- out of the way.

He didn't spend more than two minutes under the warm shower water, giving himself a cursory wash in the most necessary areas, pausing at one in particular for a second longer, before he rinsed off and cut the water. He walked out of the shower without drying off and carefully stepped down into the tub, feeling a pleasant burn of the hot water against his skin as he lowered himself to sit down with his back to the left end so he was facing the bathroom door.

His weight in the tub raised the water level a fair amount, but as Will had estimated, the spill over wouldn't be much even after Hannibal got in. The water was nicely hot though and it was quickly relaxing him, making him sink a little lower, the scents all pleasantly tickling his senses and easing the tension he felt in his lower back –from their ambitious position- and the dull ache that was always present around his asshole after Hannibal penetrated him, although it was less and less so each time.

If Will wasn't already flushed from the hot water, he was certain he'd be flushed from blushing. He'd paused in that area briefly when he'd been washing in the shower, having noted that while he still felt the after effects of sex, the pucker itself seemed to be closed up. It gave some weight to his theory about his body getting used to it, becoming limber but not damaged, and knowing that relaxed him even further.

Feeling as calm and centered as he did, coupled with his thoughts of not wasting any more time than necessary, making both of them wait so long to experience things, Will glanced at the doorway when a thought popped into his mind. With only slight hesitation, he slid his right between his legs, behind his balls, and slowly, underneath the cover of fluffy bubbles and bath product white-tinted water, he tentatively rubbed his middle and ring finger over his anus as Hannibal usually did. It didn't feel as arousing as when Hannibal did it, that was immediately obvious, but it still made his lower abdomen briefly tighten with excitement and Will _felt_ his anus swell out lightly and clench against his fingers at the flash of feeling, which served to make him feel very out of his depth quite suddenly.

He moved his hand away quickly, his fingers skimming over his stirring cock as he brought both hands out of the water and ran them through his already wet hair, clearing his throat for absolutely no reason other than his own personal awkwardness. It was his first time touching himself there and whereas in his past life he knew he probably would have never even considered it, now that he knew how it felt and his physical response to it, it made him curiouser.

Will had a fleeting thought of touching himself there again, but then Hannibal was walking into the bathroom. He sat up a little straighter, noting first that Hannibal smiled –a subtle and very pleased little quirk of his lips- at the sight of Will waiting for him in the bathtub with candles alight, and then noting that the older man was holding two tall tumblers filled with a bright orange coloured liquid, fresh fruit floating at the tops.

Hannibal approached, barefoot but wearing the dark pair of long loungewear pants he'd had on at breakfast, not naked anymore since he'd been downstairs and busy in the last ten minutes. He held out one of the glasses, leaning down just so for Will to take it,

"A peach Bellini mocktail." he informed as Will raised a dripping, bubble clinging hand out of the water to take the drink firmly, the chilled condensate-wet glass contrasting against the heat of his fingertips, "I had prepared it to drink after breakfast," Hannibal smirked down at him but it wasn't with humor so much as it was adoring, and he added, "but our plans for after breakfast changed to something far better."

Will couldn't help smiling, showing some of his teeth in doing so and huffing a quiet laugh, because Hannibal's words had sounded so suggestive in his accent without even meaning to; it was both charming and disarming.

"It really was." he said the first thing he wanted to, agreeing and choosing not to filter himself too much anymore. He took a sip of the cold, delicious and sweet drink then, fresh berries bumping against his top lip as he did so, "Thank you, Hannibal, I didn't realize I was so thirsty." he admitted, trying not to turn even redder as he watched his former words work their way over Hannibal, bringing that reverent, stunned shine to the older man's already intense eyes as the Doctor watched him.

It passed as quickly as it generally did, seeing as how Hannibal had that sort of instant control feature built into him, and he looked to the side, leaning over to set his own glass down at the opposite end of the bath, before he walked out of Will's line of sight,

"When taking a hot bath for the purpose of soaking and relaxing," Will heard the sound of material passing over skin, "it is always prudent to have a cold beverage available to drink." Hannibal advised and Will took another sip of his drink as he heard the glass shower door pulled open, "I'll join you shortly." was the last thing Hannibal said before the water in the shower was turned on.

The bathroom began to fill with more steam and the sound of pitter pattering water as Will set his glass down beside the bath before relaxing back again to wait. He idly fiddled with the bubbles, purposely not looking beside himself at the shower stall because he still hadn't yet completely figured out how the more intimate parts of Hannibal's physique fit into his attractions.

He was aware that Hannibal had a good body; fit, lean, broad shoulders, upper body well built, narrow waist, long legs, overall a very athletic build meant for strength, speed, stamina and agility, not for bulk and show. He was also aware that Hannibal had pin straight smooth hair, a handsome face and a fucking charmer's roguish smile that was somehow entirely complemented by the crow's feet of his eyes, and then there was the hair on his chest, his slender long fingers on his large finely veined hands. Even his feet were nice, well looked after, long and proportionate, his big toes only a little shorter than the index ones and all the rest followed neatly down in size to his little toes.

Yes, Will had looked, after all, they were living together and it had given him plenty of time to notice these things, more so after they'd started sleeping together obviously. And Will liked all of these details even if he hadn't yet ran his hands through Hannibal's hair at random, or complimented his smile or taken the time to run his hands over the expanse of the older man's body. He'd get there soon enough, hell, as it was he decided he liked the feel of the Doctor's chest hair under his hands and he'd barely touched it.

So, yes, that was all well and good and getting better, but then there were the _other_ parts. Will didn't know how to catalogue his feelings about the shape and feel of Hannibal's lips in terms of attraction to them, he just knew that he enjoyed kissing Hannibal and having Hannibal kissing him. And Will knew Hannibal had a good posterior –he snorted softly at his mental choice of noun and sent some bubbles spattering. And _of course_ Will was very aware that Hannibal was well endowed and uncircumcised. But was he able to say that he liked the look, thought and feel of Hannibal's backside or his penis, erect or otherwise? Well…

He felt his ears get hotter than they already were as he pictured Hannibal's erect cock and remembered how it felt in his hand, how it felt inside him.

With raised eyebrows and fighting the urge to clear his throat again, Will resolved that perhaps he needed to reflect on that a little more.

He sat up straighter in the tub again when the shower water was shut off, followed by the sounds of the door being opened and wet feet patting on the floor. Will looked up at Hannibal as the man came to stand by the tub and for a moment Will wondered how this should work, because on the very rare occasions he'd taken a bath with Molly, she'd always lie back against him and-…

…- then his confusion was laid to rest because Hannibal stepped down into the tub facing him and sat down in the water –making the level rise and spill a little over the edge- with his back against the right side of the tub. And that made sense, because the taps were built into the middle, so there was no need to pick a side. Will couldn't actually decide though, whether this way of sitting was somehow less intimate or not, but then Hannibal stretched his legs out, one on the outside of Will's and one on the inside, while looking at Will with expectation for him to do the same.

Will was a momentarily thrown by the sensual feeling of Hannibal's legs sliding against his own; against his lower legs and then the outside of his left thigh, and finally, where the older man's foot settled just beneath the side of his butt on one side. While Hannibal's other leg on the inside slid against the inside of his thigh and then Hannibal's foot hitched over his hip and settled there. And it was kind of crazy that this new intimacy made his blood run hot all over again, but it didn't scare Will out of enjoying it or returning the closeness, doing the exact same thing with his legs right after Hannibal, stretching them out, one on the inside, one outside against the wall of the tub, toes tucked against the curve of the tub and Hannibal's hip.

It was new –another new experience- and different, and Will found he liked it, and he liked when Hannibal's hands slipped around his inner leg –his right leg-, straightening and raising it, bringing Will's Achilles tendon to rest on his left shoulder before he started to massage and caress from Will's knee down to the arch of his foot and back; leg hair, bubbles and all, comfortable and easy.

They both had to bend their knees at the middle of the tub, because despite the bath being big, they were still both tall, grown men. And when Hannibal started to massage the tension out of his cramped up muscle from earlier, Will slid a little further down, bending the knee of his outer leg a little more and feeling himself becoming more entangled in the older man's legs as he hummed softly in enjoyment.

"I apologize for my miscalculation earlier," Hannibal was saying and Will heard the smile in his voice before he opened his lethargic eyes and saw the Doctor's water wet lips curved in a soft smile, "in my haste to see to your cramp I forgot how close to the bed's edge you were." he admitted, his large, wet, slender hands sliding over Will's skin, all five fingers of one hand massaging along the underside of his calf and the other over the top of his foot, Hannibal's thumb pressing into the soft arch of his foot with precise pressure.

Will groaned softly as Hannibal stroked his thumb up into the middle of the ball of his foot, water lapping bubbly and steaming against his collar bone as he shifted slightly, the aroma of the bath products and candles all serving to make him feel lightheaded and loose-limbed.

"You don't need to apologize." he sighed, bringing his hands up out of the water from where he'd awkwardly placed them on his stomach when Hannibal got into the tub, "I should be the one to apologize for nearly ruining our entire morning because of my, uh…" Will frowned slightly and left the sentence unfinished, placing his left arm on the outside along the tub and reaching for his glass of peach Bellini, not really sure what to call any of the brief hang ups he occasionally suffered.

Hannibal also reached for his drink, leaving his right hand resting on Will's ankle as he took a sip before saying,

"Mercurial ebullition." while staring innocently into his glass at the bright floating berries.

Will leveled him with a blandly amused look, barely managing not to roll his eyes at the man,

"Seriously, you couldn't just say temper tantrums or something else less ostentatious." he suggested, his gaze drifting to where he was tentatively tracing patterns on Hannibal's bent up knee, which was rested against the wall of the tub. He was uncertain of where or how to touch, but he wanted to.

Hannibal was distracted by the touch as well, but Will noticed how the older man made a special effort not to draw unnecessary attention to it, probably thinking Will would stop if he did. Instead Hannibal focused on his drink, taking another sip from the glass before carefully setting it down and returning to massaging and caressing Will's leg, the older man trailing his index finger along the inside of his foot just when he said,

"Melodrama, then."

Will's entire body twitched at the tickling sensation Hannibal's touch caused, making him nearly spill his drink in the water, and more bath water out of the tub, while trying not to smile too broadly,

"Hey, no, don't do that, Hannibal." he gave the older man an amused warning look while attempting to pull his foot back to himself. But Hannibal, smiling close lipped and mischievous, merely held on and conceded with a nod, before he turned his head and pressed a kiss to Will's ankle, still holding onto the appendage lightly while tracing the fingers of his left hand all the way down to the side of his knee.

Will could barely maintain eye contact as Hannibal touched him so sensually and lovingly, it made him all the more lightheaded and overly warm. Choosing not to say anything or keep looking Hannibal in the eye as the man pressed another kiss beside his ankle, Will watched his own left hand as he experimentally dipped his fingers beneath the high water line to feel the hair just above Hannibal's knee. He immediately found it interesting how the older man appeared to have less leg hair because of his complexion and the lighter colour of his body hair, but how his legs were actually quite hairy, Will realized now, trailing his fingers over Hannibal's knee and part way down his shin.

Direct and conscious touch were certainly a revealing means of discovering and learning, which made sense, considering Will had felt Hannibal's leg hair brushing against his own when they had sex, and yet hadn't, at those times, consciously taken note of it in any proper detail, unlike right then.

"Are you comfortable?" Hannibal enquired suddenly and Will looked at him, brought out of his thoughts by Hannibal's soft, curious tone. He nodded, raising his eyebrows,

"Yeah," he smiled at the older man to let Hannibal see that he meant it, "yeah, I am. Actually, I…" and then he licked his lips, working up the courage to say more about his feelings. He stalled, bringing his hand away from Hannibal's knee and breaking their eye contact as he tilted his glass a bit, making the fruit gather near the rim. He flicked water off his fingers and plucked out a raspberry, "I'm actually more than comfortable, Hannibal." he said quietly, looking at the fresh, sweet fruit and a droplet of juice sliding down his finger, steeling himself to speak his mind. "You told me some time ago to tell you what I like, what I'm thinking," he met Hannibal's intensely focused gaze then, "so I want to tell you that I like this, I like being like this with you." he finished then, and tossed the berry up a short way before catching it in his mouth, trying to mask the anxiety building in his chest from making himself vulnerable by being so honest.

He was aware that Hannibal was still staring at him with that incredibly devoted and awed expression on his face and it made Will's heart rate increase and his mouth dry. So he took another sip of juice to help him swallow the fruit he'd just eaten, waiting for Hannibal to say something. Any thing.

He mostly expected whatever Hannibal would say to be some deep, emotionally laden confession, which Will felt unprepared for –considering the relaxed and playful atmosphere- but would find a way to not become overwhelmed by.

He was just plucking another fruit piece from the tilted glass – a blueberry this time-, when Hannibal cleared his throat, finally ready to speak after a few long seconds of processing.

"I never took you for the type to enjoy domestic sentimentality." he said with an amused tone and Will blinked twice when he looked at the smirking older man, both stunned and surprised that Hannibal chose to keep the atmosphere light when the man was always inclined to want to delve too deeply into the psychological motivations of something.

 _'_ _But that's not true…he doesn't really do that anymore.'_ Will thought, knowing that wasn't true of Hannibal anymore, things had changed between them.

Smirking himself, Will did roll his eyes that time,

"I don't exactly get the chance to be, what with you always giving me bleeding hearts." he joked about their cannibalism, which he occasionally did in recent years when the mood struck him, smile still in place as he went on, "And once even a man in the shape of a bleeding heart." he added, and then stared at the blueberry between his thumb and forefinger, wondering if Hannibal might be offended by him making light of the older man's extensive and long term courting actions.

But Hannibal chuckled, and Will's smile widened at hearing it as he looked at the older man to see that he looked both relieved and charmed by Will's retort. It made Will realize that Hannibal had also felt like he'd taken a risk by making light of Will's admission of liking everything about this moment, and whatever anxiety had been lingering in his chest was replaced by warmth and affection for the older man.

They were both on the same page in the end, trying to figure out how to be together without all the games, and Will had to wonder what would happen if they stopped trying so hard and just let themselves be. Of course, Hannibal was holding back on account of him, so Will was the one who needed to let himself be, and to let Hannibal know they were going to be fine no matter what. Nothing but death could part them now, preferably by one another's hands if not by natural or everyday entropic causes.

"Would you prefer flowers instead, dear?" Hannibal said after a moment, pressing a smiling kiss to Will's ankle again as he raised his fair eyebrows and looked at him teasingly, "Perhaps a dozen or two of red roses, Valentine's day is near, mind you."

Will chuckled then, a little caught up by being called _dear_ as well as being amused by Hannibal's teasing, but all too happy to play along.

"You're the one who'd like flowers, probably something beautiful, morbid and poisonous for our dining room table." Will said with a smirk, gently rolling the blueberry between his fingers as he watched Hannibal's smile widen, showing some of his sharp teeth while his gaze lit up at Will's use of the possessive determiner ' ** _our_** _'_. On a roll and not filtering himself, Will went on, "And anyway, _dear_ , if you want to top the Anthony Dimmond heart topiary display in the Palermo Norman Chapel, of all places, even a rose shaped human display wouldn't cut it." he set his glass down with a cocked eyebrow.

He was about to eat the blueberry when he glanced at Hannibal, and upon seeing Hannibal's positively devilish grin and a gleam of challenge in his eyes, Will's jaw nearly dropped –because wow, Hannibal was incorrigible- and he huffed out a laugh and arched both of his eyebrows,

"I'm joking, Hannibal, **no more** human topiary of any kind." he couldn't help grinning though, and the feeling of inappropriate flattery at the thought of Hannibal doing that for him **again** made him toss the blueberry at the older man.

Of course Hannibal had superb reflexes and he tipped his head back just enough to catch the fruit in his mouth, continuing to grin slyly as he chewed. Will chuckled again and shook his head,

"I should've known you'd take that as a challenge." he said, watching as Hannibal reached to the side and dipped two slender fingers into his glass to retrieve another blueberry.

"Oh, it wouldn't be a challenge, Will, but it would be a pleasure." Hannibal said cockily and then before Will could answer Hannibal tossed the blueberry at him, and while it was aimed rather perfectly for him to catch it with his mouth, and Will quickly tried to, it hit his bottom teeth and lip and plopped into the water.

Will glanced down as it sunk beneath bubbles and white coloured water,

"Almost." Will mumbled with a smile, feeling the berry land on his skin and roll down over his stomach beneath the water. Hannibal shifted then, drawing his legs back, so Will did the same, feeling the berry roll to the side and off his hip. He was about to reach for it, but then he registered why Hannibal had moved away and he looked up to see Hannibal moving toward him across the tub.

"Sorry about that." Hannibal said huskily as he placed his left hand beside Will's hip, the other sliding up his thigh to make space between his legs; making Will shiver, his eyes going half-lidded, thinking Hannibal was going to lie against him and kiss him…wanting Hannibal to do just that. Then Hannibal smirked and said, "I'll get it." and without warning he slipped quickly beneath the deep tub water.

Will burst out _giggling_ \- god damn it-, his entire body wriggling and sloshing water over the sides of the tub as Hannibal shifted under the surface, all seeking hands, kissing lips and tickling hair against Will's abdomen, crotch and between his thighs. And the fact that Hannibal didn't need to go about finding the berry this way was far from upsetting to Will, who found himself immensely enjoying the playfulness as well as the feeling of Hannibal nuzzling his stomach and cock under the water, Hannibal's hands tickling his naked skin as they skimmed around 'searching' for the berry. And Will couldn't help sliding his own hands over Hannibal's bare back and into the man's hair when he slipped lower in the water and Hannibal's broad shoulders pressed his thighs apart.

He was very aroused and so amused and feeling _really_ tingly and happy and swarmed with affectionate emotion, with _love_ , by the time Hannibal emerged slowly from the water, pressing a kiss to Will's nipple before he balanced on his right arm under the water and brought his left hand out to wipe over his face and clear the moisture away, hair clinging to his forehead and temples, flat and dark. Will was still breathily chuckling as he helped Hannibal, using both of his –lightly shaking- hands to push the older man's hair back from his handsome face; feeling overwhelmed by his own feelings, always feeling gloriously overwhelmed where Hannibal was concerned.

"No luck?" he asked quietly when Hannibal opened his eyes and smiled with those lips that Will had come to love kissing. The man didn't answer, instead he slid forward, their bodies smooth and wet and easily slipping against each other, and he pressed a kiss to Will's lips as more water spilled out onto the treated wood floor around them.

Neither of them cared though, especially not Will, who had wanted Hannibal to kiss him since before the man disappeared under the water. He met Hannibal's kiss with a shaken exhale and parted his lips the moment he felt Hannibal's tongue skim over his lips. And Will smiled and laughed softly into the kiss when he felt Hannibal transfer the berry to his mouth with a roll of his tongue. He had **no** idea how it ended up in Hannibal's mouth but he really didn't care.

They parted from the kiss smiling, Will chewing the juicy fruit as he opened his eyes to meet Hannibal's gaze, Hannibal, who looked so in love…and a little worried. But Will didn't have to guess why, because aside from the fact that his hands were trembling where he'd lightly settled them on Hannibal's flanks and his breathing being a little accelerated, misleading bodily reactions to say the least, he recognized the look on Hannibal's face.

Hannibal had recently been looking at him like that a lot and Will had figured out that it was the expression of the older man's own uncertainties and securities, because he was so invested in not pushing Will beyond a breaking point that on the occasion that he lost or gave up control and just decided to behave spontaneously, like right then, he always doubled back, second guessing himself.

Hannibal was terrified in his own way of losing all they had together now.

Will really didn't know how to fully express that he wasn't going anywhere though, because he himself was not really great with getting his point across without fucking it up somehow. So he settled for the best he knew how to do, which presently involved looking seriously and sincerely at Hannibal when he said,

"It's okay, Hannibal, I'm okay." he leaned forward just the few inches closer to kiss the man again and then said against his lips, "I want more of this." he admitted quietly, his voice hitching a little when Hannibal nudged their noses together, the Doctor's eyes sliding to half-mast as he pressed another kiss to Will's lips.

Hannibal paused to whisper,

 _["](www)Kas nors_." against his mouth before kissing him again properly, his left hand, wet and warm, coming up to cradle Will's jaw, and as usual when Hannibal spoke in that distinctly Scandinavian language that was probably Lithuanian, he didn't understand, but it sounded like a promise, passionate and honest and Will brought his hands up to hold Hannibal's face as well. It was an exceptionally intimate moment for Will, and he suspected for Hannibal too, to lie together in the bath and kiss each other, but it was also special for how sweet and new it was, something that Will really did want more of.

The long moment of kissing turned to a smiling bumping of their lips, both men snickering soft and close when Will slipped a bit against the tub and his chin dipped below the water, bubbles clinging to his beard,

"We're on a roll today." he joked about their clumsiness as Hannibal moved back, sitting back on his haunches and holding onto the tub sides as Will sat up properly and leaned forward, looking up at Hannibal as he wiped the bubbles off his beard.

Hannibal was staring at him, not even hiding how pleased and smitten he was feeling, and despite the cooling water Will turned red all over again, something he couldn't wait to stop doing someday hopefully soon. Hannibal finally gave him a break from his intense look a few seconds later, raising one of his hands and looking at his fingertips with a light frown,

"It's probably best we get out of the water before it becomes any cooler." he decided, standing gracefully –and so naked- and tall above where Will sat in the bath, completely confident in every inch of every part of his body, and then he stepped up out onto the floor, into the mess of water they'd made.

Will was still processing the dripping wet, well-built eye full he'd just seen, running his wet hands back through his damp hair as he said off-handedly,

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you didn't like pruny fingers." he was smiling, still blushing and a little shaky and giddy with the numerous feelings, sensations and experiences of the morning.

Hannibal spoke with a smile in his voice,

"I'm relieved then that you know better." and when Will heard a cabinet close and the patting of Hannibal's feet on the wet floor, he grabbed the sides of the tub and stood up, turning just when Hannibal came to stand beside him holding one of their folded large, dark blue bath towels. Will took a silent breath as he came more or less face to crotch with Hannibal, finding that the older man had wrapped one of the towels around his waist already, and then he took Hannibal's hand when it was offered and stepped up onto the floor.

Will sniffed softly as he dabbed twice at his face first and then opened the towel out to wrap around his hips, Hannibal efficiently moving around the bathroom already, having picked up the candles and extinguished them, he carried them over to the counter to clean up.

Will watched him for a moment, watched the way the muscles of his back shifted, the finer details more visible without a shirt covering them, taking notice more attentively of their size differences; not being much different in height, but where Will was more specifically toned in select areas, Hannibal was still obviously broader and larger in build.

Blinking out of his thoughts, Will leaned over and picked up their glasses, walking over to Hannibal, holding the older man's out to him. Hannibal turned and took it, Will taking a gulp from his own before licking his lips and saying what he'd been thinking about earlier,

"Are you up to joining Francesca and I for a walk before lunch?" he stood right before the older man, comfortable and at ease at close proximity and pleased with himself for it.

Hannibal had taken a sip of his own drink and he smiled afterwards,

"Absolutely, and perhaps we'll prepare lunch together when we return?" he asked and Will smiled and raised his eyebrows in agreement as that had been his thought exactly,

"Sounds like a plan." he played it cool, finishing his drink to distract himself from the butterflies he occasionally got around Hannibal during particularly and keenly felt moments between them, which had basically been all morning.

Not to mention, this was the most time they'd spent together straight after sex, _ever_.

It felt like so much and yet Will still wanted to have more time, more experiences, he wanted to fill this day with different and interesting interactions with Hannibal. Perhaps that was the reason why he'd subconsciously decided not to dress properly that morning, perhaps he'd been seeking something more than he'd even realized at the time? Or maybe he should stop doing what he'd always hated psychiatrists doing –i.e: psychoanalyzing- and just go with it, let that day and the next, and the next, play out however they would.

He left the bathroom with a smile a moment later, Hannibal asking him to take the glasses away and get dressed while he sorted out the bathroom. Will attempted to offer to help, but Hannibal had leaned in, pressed a slow, lingering kiss to his lips and had told him not to worry about it, and he wasn't about to argue, not when Hannibal looked so pleased and he could feel himself starting to blush again.

He really needed to get his god-damned blushing under control.

* * *

Will had done exactly as he'd told himself too; he'd stopped overthinking things and just let them happen, and the day had gone through seamlessly. They'd gone out into the forest path that they usually did with Francesca, who was a quick learner of her training, never straying too far and always coming back when Will called or whistled, and when they'd returned home, he and Hannibal had made lunch together.

Having long since gotten Hannibal out of the habit of making elaborate meals or dessert for lunch, it didn't take more than fifteen minutes, with Will slicing onions while Hannibal did everything else, before they were sitting at the dining room table eating ' _fegato alla Veneziana'_ , which was basically just an Italian-style recipe for preparing liver, and enjoying their usual varied conversation topics.

The rest of the afternoon and evening had been spent doing the things they always did; reading, watching TV, drawing, talking and Will taking Francesca out for the last of her daily romps while Hannibal started dinner at around five P.M. The night wound down peacefully after that, the weather being clear enough at around nine, no snowfall and not too cold, to sit out on the porch drinking Hannibal's specially made hot chocolate recipe while Francesca did her business before bed. And once everything was locked up switched off and Francesca was settled, the both cleaned up for bed and turned in.

And for a change that night, after Hannibal had kissed him goodnight with tender, lingering presses and soft sucks, Will had been the one to spoon up behind the older man after the lights were out…and Hannibal had found his hand under the covers, held it and squeezed lightly. Will had fallen asleep quickly and contented, with his forehead pressed to the nape of the older man's neck, breathing in the familiar scent and finding himself soothed by it.


	6. Didn't I?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Okay! So, this is the final two installments of Faded Fantasy Part 2. I decided to post two parts instead of one in the end, but one right after the other! So two large chapters here for you to enjoy! Well, I hope you enjoy :3 Let me know if you do!  
> \- Please read the tags, as they cover everything that happens in the story but not specifically, so just be prepared in case you're sensitive to certain kinds of violence.  
> \- There is foreign language used in these chapters, please hover the cursor over the first letter at the beginning of ever foreign speech sentence to see the translation for your convenience!  
> \- These chapters were inspired by Damien Rice (naturally), particularly his new track: 100 Miles Across The Room, but also a few other songs too.  
> \- Any mistakes you find are all mine, I have no beta. Please report anything major to me!  
> \- Translations Typed Out link is available at the end of the chapter for those using cell phones.

* * *

* * *

The following day was a Monday and Will decided to drive into the city before the end of the work day to see Hannibal, seeing no reason not to follow through on the urge to do so now that he wasn't overthinking things. He took Francesca with him, their excited pet lying down in the backseat of the Volvo and occasionally whining and panting as Will drove into the small city.

It was fifteen minutes before six PM when Will parked his car in the street a few cars down from the business park offices where Hannibal's practice was situated inside of. After he grabbed Francesca's retractable walking leash off the passenger seat beside him, he got out of the car and opened the back door on his side, Francesca obediently waiting with an excitedly wagging tail as he attached the leash to her collar. Once she was secured, she jumped out of the car and he shut the door, arming the alarm of the car and then leading Francesca to walk along the sidewalk in the direction of the office building.

The roads were about as busy as Skellefteå ever was on a Monday evening, only a few more cars on the roads than there were bicycles rolling along beside them or through the promenades and walkways, along with an average amount of pedestrians leaving work in the evening time.

A few people smiled at him and Francesca as they passed and before long he was walking into the reception area of the office building. Hannibal's practice was on the first floor, and because Will still technically worked there the two people at reception didn't ask him to sign in or say anything about Francesca, the latter allowance probably made because Hannibal was so well liked and charming and so by extension Will could get away with bringing a dog in to the office.

He walked past the few other first floor offices of different practices and the like, his black trench boots not making much noise on the large glossy tiles while Francesca's claws tapped distinctly. Will hadn't overdressed, as that wasn't something he'd ever liked to do, but when it came to being around and being seen in public with Hannibal he made an effort to look put together, albeit never in excess. Hannibal had also long since given up on his own stand-out wardrobe of suits tailored in memorable, eye catching patterns and colours, because drawing that kind of attention to himself was counterproductive. Since living in Skellefteå, he still dressed very well and very expensively and almost always in suits, but now he avoided patterns and even sometimes forewent a waistcoat. Additionally, most of his suits, shirts, ties and even his pocket squares and handkerchiefs were only in plain singular, solid colours.

And Will found it a bit of an unfair convenience that Hannibal looked just as good –if not a little better on some occasions- in plainer suits, which was actually how he'd realized the odd looks people gave him when they'd first moved there. Will would be out in public or at work –coming or going- while being dressed in half-ironed clothes, with scuffed boots and uncombed hair, while Hannibal looked like a damn suit model. Hannibal had never said anything about his clothes though, probably because the Doctor was always hesitant to say anything that would upset him, but Will had taken into the account that not only was he also drawing attention to himself, but that Hannibal deserved better, even though at the time their relationship had still been in the process of being defined and people had only perceived them as employee and employer.

Presently, when he arrived at Hannibal's waiting room door, he glanced at his watch to be sure he wasn't going to be interrupting and then opened the door, letting Francesca inside first and then following and shutting the door behind them. The waiting room was empty, as Will had expected it would be at that time, and he walked across the space, passed his own desk and work area, to the main door of Hannibal's office.

Will gave a quick courtesy knock before he opened that door as well and entered, glancing around as he stepped in after Francesca and pushed the door closed again with a soft click.

"Hannibal?" he said out aloud into the quiet, brightly lit office, glancing up at the mezzanine level as he walked by the staircase. He didn't see Hannibal up there either and since the office was an open plan layout and he could see the older man wasn't at his desk, he assumed Hannibal was probably in his private bathroom.

He felt a tug on the leash and glanced at Francesca who, having never been to Hannibal's office before, was sniffing around everywhere, tail wagging when she picked up Hannibal's familiar scent in certain places…like in one of the white single seat leather sofas she had just jumped into and was making herself comfortable on. Will didn't realize his mouth had dropped open in amused shock until he closed it again when the sound of the private bathroom door opened and Hannibal stepped out.

There was a moment of silence as their eyes met, and then Hannibal's gaze trailed down to the leash in Will's hand and followed it to Francesca, who had her head propped on the leather armrest cutely as she whined happily at Hannibal, her tail thumping excitedly and sending ever-shedding hair flicking into air. Hannibal blinked, his expression mostly unreadable, which was a sign Will had come to realize was of Hannibal trying to either not react, to just not knowing how a _normal_ person would react.

Will pursed his lips, feeling like he should have reconsidered bringing Francesca with him to the office, but the simple truth was,

"I didn't want to leave her alone at home."

Hannibal blinked at him then, a calm and welcoming sort of look settling on his face before his lips curled into the slight but handsome smile that Will had seen on the man's face many times over their years of knowing one another, a smile that he'd never known could mean so much to him as it did now.

"Understandable, she's hardly used to being without you, and you without her." he said in a warm tone as he walked to his desk positioned in one corner of the office, in front of the floor to ceiling windows which spanned one entire wall.

Will was honestly amazed, as he often was in recent years, by Hannibal's lack of a negative reaction to some things; by just how much he'd accepted and changed since the fall, and even more so since establishing their relationship fully. Will could vividly imagine how Hannibal might have reacted seven or eight years ago if he'd ever dared to bring one of his dogs to the older man's office or house. He never had, of course, but he just knew the cold, stoic and perfectly presented Doctor Lecter from before, the one in a meticulous person suit, would have likely expressed some obvious disdain for anyone doing such a thing. Even Will.

 _'_ _Or would he have?'_ Will found himself wondering curiously as he watched Hannibal, the _real_ Hannibal, monster and man and lover and human, go about tidying his desk and beginning to pack up for the evening. Hannibal had never had any qualms about getting close to him even back then, had never shied away from taking Will's jacket or coat and hanging it up, or shied away from seemingly platonically intended lingering touches. He'd never looked displeased when Will would dump his satchel or jacket on his expensive furniture, or would sit on his desk, in his chair, or would touch his possessions. Not in his office and then not even when Will would visit his house after he'd been released from the BSHCI.

It had occurred to Will before in unclear increments, and a little more in recent years and presently, that he'd always been actively and openly _favoured_ by Hannibal in many ways. He supposed though, that even if he had noticed subconsciously all those years ago, he likely wouldn't have paid it any mind. He'd made himself so blind to anything resembling human traits where Hannibal was concerned, too afraid that acknowledging such things would have made him even more interested in the man than he'd already been just from knowing the truth of the person suit and the beautiful monster that he was.

Hell, if that impossibly annoying and frustrating bitch Bedelia hadn't nearly outright told him that Hannibal was in love with him, he may never have been forced to face it. His life would have turned out very differently…and honestly, the thought of not having ended up spending his life with Hannibal made him feel a little asphyxiated.

Will blinked back to the present with a small shake of his head, catching himself standing idly and frowning slightly in the middle of the seating space of the office, Francesca's leash slack in his hand as she remained in Hannibal's chair, comfortable as anything, Hannibal was still packing up, currently placing his lap top –yes, he now had one in his far more modern office because it was a _normal_ thing to have- into his lap top bag.

Then Hannibal looked at him expectantly, zipping the lap top bag up and arching one of his fair, fine eyebrows,

"Will?"

Will realized then that Hannibal must have said something which he'd missed while he'd been thinking about the past, so he huffed a small laugh accompanied by a small smile and raised his eyebrows,

"Sorry, I missed that, what did you say?" as he dropped Francesca's leash to hang neatly over the metal armrest of the leather sofa she was settled on, trusting that she likely wouldn't make any moves. He expected Hannibal to question his daydreaming, but he didn't, only taking a moment to give Will an assessing once over and obviously deciding all was well before he repeated what it was that he'd said,

"I asked if you'd had a plan for coming into town; perhaps something you wanted to do after we leave here?" he went on to pack a few more items of stationery into his bag before unlocking and opening his top left drawer, beginning to pocket his personal effects; wallet, car keys, etc.

Will inhaled quietly as he considered that, raising his eyebrows again as he shook his head at the older man,

"Not really, I just felt like taking a drive." he said that, but it wasn't entirely the truth. The truth was he'd kind of been…missing Hannibal's presence in the house, and so he'd decided he'd come into town to surprise him. He considered then that he should tell the truth, because Hannibal would likely appreciate knowing that Will thought of him so fondly, that he'd missed him…

"I see." Hannibal smiled, packing up completed, and then he picked up his leather satchel and his lap top bag and walked out from behind his desk, glancing habitually around the office to make sure everything was as it should be; high curtains drawn closed, all files put away, nothing askew or amiss. "I should have assumed, seeing as how Francesca is with us we couldn't really do anything." he reasoned amiably, not sounding bothered by it as he walked on the outside of the seating arrangement and placed his bags on the second unoccupied white sofa before stepping over to retrieve his black Chesterfield coat from the hanger by the door.

And Will took a moment to sweep his gaze over the length of the older man when Hannibal's back was turned; the Doctor was dressed in a charcoal gray suit, and Will tracked his gaze from the neat brush back of Hannibal's grey-brown hair over the broad line of his shoulders, and down his lean, elegant form to the narrow points of his black leather Chelsea boots, thinking simultaneously that he should be honest about why he came into town and also, since the realizations of the day before, that he didn't have to shy away from finding appeal and attractiveness in the sight of Hannibal.

"We could take a walk." Will said the second the idea occurred to him, sliding his hands into his own coat pockets, "The weather is nice, not too cold or warm." he added as Hannibal turned to look at him while adjusting his coat properly on his shoulders. If the older man took any time at all to think about the suggestion Will couldn't tell, because it was barely a breath that passed before Hannibal nodded with a pleased smile,

"That sounds like a fine idea, Will." he stepped forward, reaching over the back of the sofa again for his bags but not taking his warm gaze off of Will even as he did so, "Perhaps we will purchase some coffee and walk down to the park, Francesca could have her exercise there for the evening."

Will smiled at that idea, it sounded better than the vague, last minute suggestion he'd made. Really, he should have known Hannibal would be more organized than he was, even spontaneously.

"Even better." he grinned at Hannibal, noticing immediately how Hannibal's eyes seemed to brighten at the sight of him smiling, just smiling; it made him smile wider, toothy and sincere, it also made his face feel warm – as often happened- and it also made his chest and stomach feel both tense and light. Both feelings born of a swell of affection and emotion the older man inspired in him often these days, "We can even leave your car here in the city and I'll drop you off at work tomorrow morning?" he suggested easily.

He received a nod and full smile in return, making Hannibal appear every bit the debonair, charming, gentlemanly villain that he truly was, especially as the older man stepped up to open the door for Will and inclined his head,

"Shall we?"

Will just kept smiling as he nodded once and then reached for Francesca's leash,

"Come on, girl. Let's go." he encouraged with a small shake of the leash and she was up and off the couch quickly, following Will as he walked over to Hannibal by the open door.

Will had been intending to walk straight out as Francesca brushed by his legs, moving ahead, but something lingering in his stomach, in his chest, deep inside his feelings that were nothing short of _love_ for Hannibal, made him slow, made him stop just in front of the older man where he stood holding the door open with one hand on the handle, his other holding his bags, his smooth, prominent lips still curved into a smile, his auburn eyes settled and always focused on Will, filled with an ever present adoration.

Will took stock of a few things as he stood there, looking up just so at the other man, both of them smiling; the hallway was quiet and empty, Francesca had sat down calmly waiting and Hannibal smelled _so, so good_. Will realized that he earnestly wanted to kiss Hannibal right then, he just looked so _handsome_ and the urge was strong, the desire for it.

So, still smiling, he leaned in and up, tipped his head back and pressed a firm, closed mouth kiss to Hannibal's warm smiling lips, keeping his eyes half lidded and noticing how the older man's eyes slid closed slowly as he pressed back into the kiss. The kiss lingered, as did their smiles, and when Will drew back he wasn't even surprised when Hannibal followed, snatching another kiss that clung just so, Hannibal's bottom lip between his own as his top lip was gently caught in a tender suckle between the older man's.

There was so much feeling even in such a slight kiss, so much sentiment and affection and _want;_ Hannibal's eyes still closed, his breathing accelerated just a bit, his emotional happiness in that moment almost palpable, merging seamlessly with Will's own good feelings and drowning out his underlining hesitations, uncertainty and superficial boundaries of kissing in public, stripping the moment down to exactly what it should be.

Just two people who loved each other, sharing a kiss.

Will leaned into Hannibal's kiss then, his eyes falling closed completely and his lips parting to the warm exhale of Hannibal's breath and seeking slip of his tongue, Will taking in a slow breath of his own as the older man's mouth slid open and hot against his own, their tongues lapping slow and unhurried and deeply just once before Hannibal drew back to end it with a soft, quiet smack.

They paused then, their eyes opening to half-mast, gazes meeting and holding, both of them breathing somewhat loudly between their lightly parted mouths and yet softly in the open space of the office and the still empty hallway. They'd _never_ kissed anywhere but inside their house and on their property, and even though most people had left the building and it was quiet and empty, it was still a kiss in a public place. It was _more_ than Will thought he'd _ever_ be comfortable with…and yet.

It made Will smile again, small and personal, and he had to lower his eyes a moment, clearing his throat to say what he needed to say before he looked into Hannibal's unwavering gaze again and admitted,

"I actually did come into town for a reason." in a quiet almost-whisper.

Hannibal didn't ask what it was verbally, rather he just tilted his head slightly as he let go of the door handle and brought his hand up to graze his knuckles along Will's jawline, never looking away, always interested in everything Will had to say.

It took another few seconds, half blinks, a slow swallow and unsteady exhale through his nose before Will's smile faded from nerves and he muttered,

"I was missing you." followed by a soft huffing laugh as he pursed his lips, inhaled long and slow and watching Hannibal register his honest words.

He saw the older man's face become unguarded, the staging of neutral emotion that was often present falling away to reveal the adoration and love that was usually mostly visible in Hannibal's gaze, to now being displayed in his overall expression. It softened his appearance drastically, made him seem more exposed and there was a faint wetness that settled in his eyes as he tracked his gaze over Will's face lovingly.

Will had only rarely ever seen Hannibal tear up before; one time that he recalled clearly had been after Hannibal had gutted him in Baltimore and left him bleeding out on his dark wood floor, and another more recently in their current kitchen. Both incidents took place after Will had pushed him to an extreme of emotions. And apparently this was another one of those moments of extreme emotion for Hannibal, because while no tears fell, they were there, shining in his eyes, simply because Will had said he missed him.

Hannibal composed himself quickly though, eyes still bright but the wetness fading as he swallowed thickly and opened is hand to lightly hold the side of Will's face, his fingers brushing through Will's hair and tickling the shell of his ear sweetly while his thumb stroked along his jawline again,

"Did you really." Hannibal said quietly, and Will knew it wasn't a question, it was just the Doctor filling the weighted silence with words of acknowledgment.

Will decided to do likewise, nodding slowly, before glancing down to _their_ dog and smirking,

"Francesca, too." he raised his eyebrows mock seriously, "In fact, it was all her idea."

Hannibal smiled then, a grin with some teeth and much fond humor,

"Well, I owe her an immense debt for dragging you along." he leaned closer, voice low and laden with sweetness and silk, close enough that their mouths almost touched, and Will gave in to the magnetic draw the older man had always had over him, leaning in as well, mumbling out ' _Is that right?_ ' just before the gap between them closed and they were kissing again.

And it was a proper kiss too, Will didn't give himself a moment to consider anything less as their mouths came together, parted and easy and _enjoyable_. He just let it happen, forgetting his subconscious insecurity about being seen kissing another man. There was no place for that sort of thinking in his new life, and besides, Will really did like kissing Hannibal, the Doctor was so good at it, generous and skilled and sometimes overwhelming. And he always smelled so good too, cologne and aftershave and often after eating or drinking something, a hint of mint from mouthwash.

They were standing close already, but as Hannibal's kiss shifted from sensual tongue strokes to deep and possessive licks and sucks, the Doctor's hand sliding down over Will's neck and shoulder until his arm slipped around Will's mid back to hold him there, Will shifted just a bit closer and brought his free hand up to hold the back of Hannibal's neck. He slid his fingers into the hair at the nape of the older man as he returned the kiss with equal feeling, his other hand going from clenched with nervousness to relaxed, holding Francesca's leash in a slack grasp as he became absorbed in the melding of their mouths.

It was quiet as they kissed in the open doorway of Hannibal's office, the only sounds present aside from their quiet, heated breathing and the occasional soft, wet smacking sounds between their kisses being Francesca's occasional panting as she sat patiently waiting for them to be done.

And Will honestly wasn't sure when they would have been done, as the kiss was very distracting and he could feel warmth settling low in his crotch, heat gradually gathering between his thighs too. It was the kind of kiss that didn't need to lead to anything, but that still felt so good to be doing. Will thought then that he might like more of this between them too-

" _Doktor- oh![F](www)örlåt!_ "

At the sound of a woman's voice – one of the receptionists- in the hallway very close to them, obviously addressing Hannibal, all Will could do as he jerked back from the kiss abruptly was turn his face away in the direction of Hannibal's office, stepping back to put some distance between them. He inhaled deeply but quietly as he avoided looking at her, his face flooding with the heat of embarrassment and _shame_ , the latter being a manifestation of worrying what someone would think of him making out with another man.

This had been his subconscious fear of PDA with Hannibal all along.

" _[J](www)ag är ledsen för att jag avbryter_." she said bashfully, and Will felt the tension in his shoulders lessen somewhat when he noticed there was not a hint of disapproval or disgust in her tone, just a bit of embarrassment.

" _[D](www)et är inget problem, Emilia_." Hannibal said in response, his voice a little gruffer and accent a tad thicker from the effect of what they'd just been doing, making Will's face heat up even further as he scrunched his face up, still looking away, " _[V](www)ar det något du behövde_?" Hannibal asked her.

Francesca whined happily, the leash tugging a bit and Will assumed Emilia had come close enough to pet the excited dog,

" _[Å](www)h ja, någon lämnade dig ett brev tidigare vid receptionen medan du fortfarande var i en session_." she explained, still sounding completely fine about what she'd just witnessed, an honest smile in her voice as she spoke to Hannibal, "[J](www)ag glömde nästan när Cecilia påminde mig om att ge det till dig. Jag rusade till ditt kontor. Jag trodde att du hade lämnat."

It made sense that she thought Hannibal might be gone, since the Doctor parked in the building's lot which was underground, Hannibal would have taken the elevator down and left out through the garages by now, he wouldn't have passed the front desk. The entire run in was incidental and Will was starting to feel like an idiot for being so obviously uncomfortable. Once again he mentally scolded himself for feeling _bad_ about being happy and open about his relationship.

"[J](www)ag förstår. Tack Emilia." Hannibal was saying, sounding a bit distant and distracted all of a sudden, and feeling a tinge of curiosity and concern, Will schooled his features into something neutral and he turned around, glancing at Emilia and nodding in polite acknowledgement, to which she responded with a bright, honest smile and a nod as well, before Will turned his attention down to the plain, greeting card sized white envelope in Hannibal's free hand.

The hand that had been playing with and stroking his hair just a minute earlier.

Emilia was still blushing faintly and Will refused to join the bashful girl in doing so, keeping his focus rather on the letter, which he reached for and extracted easily from the older man's hand.

"[V](www)arsågod." she said politely and then after petting Francesca a few times more she stood up straight and raised a hand in parting, "[J](www)ag hoppas att ni båda har en underbar kväll." sounding suspiciously encouraging about her words.

Will, who'd been turning over the plain envelope in his hand, seeing nothing on it besides Hannibal's fake name printed in computer font cursive type on the front, glanced up at Emilia to see that her blush had been renewed and she smiled delightedly at both of them before she turned to walk away.

"[T](www)ill dig också, Emilia." Hannibal said amiably and Will just nodded again, and then she was leaving as soundlessly as she'd approached, and wearing flat peach coloured pumps as she was, they made little sound on the tiled floors of the passage.

Francesca was standing up now, watching her go and looking rather eager to be leaving as well, and with Emilia out of sight and earshot, the incident from a few minutes before came into stark focus again and before Will could help it the misplaced, but hard-to-shake, feeling of shame and indignity flooded back and he huffed out through his nose as he looked at Hannibal and frowned,

"Did you hear her coming? Did you know she would see us?" he asked quietly but with a clear tone of upset, becoming more irritated after he'd voiced his suspicion and realizing it was entirely possible.

Hannibal, who'd been running a hand through the untidy hair of his nape, looked at him then, no smile left on his face. And whatever softness that had been lingering quickly disappeared, immediately replaced by his usual guarded expression, unreadable save for a hint of weary exasperation in the tense line between his eyebrows as he said,

"No." quite flatly and with an edge of disappointment, although whether it was directed at Will for his accusation or at Hannibal himself for his slip up of awareness, Will wasn't sure, not until Hannibal shortly added, "My senses were otherwise occupied." and then he gestured shortly for Will to walk out of the office, not looking at him now.

Will immediately felt like an asshole, his neck and face warming again at knowing he'd driven Hannibal to such a lack of external awareness, but his chest feeling tight with self-upset at having ruined the moment they'd shared _again_ , because of his issues and hang-ups.

Sighing a bit loudly and pulling his bottom lip in between his teeth to bite at it in frustration, he walked out ahead of Hannibal and then stopped and turned to wait as the older man turned out the lights at the switch beside the door before he locked up. They walked together then, side by side but not closely, something Will noticed and found himself displeased by, passing through the hallway and then walking out into the large foyer of the building.

They both waved to bid the two receptionists good evening as they crossed the foyer to the automatic doors and soon they'd stepped out into the cool early evening air and were walking down the short wide steps toward the sidewalk. It hadn't been completely dark when Will arrived, but it was now and there were more people walking and a few more cars driving by at that point.

"I parked over there." Will broke the silence once they reached the sidewalk, pointing down the left side of the street to where his Volvo was parked along the curb. Hannibal looked to where he pointed, "You should put your stuff in the car if we're going to be walking?" he half asked, not sure of Hannibal's mood now after what had happened inside the building.

But it seemed Hannibal was just fine because he smiled agreeably and nodded once before beginning to walk in that direction and Will fell into step immediately, Francesca pulling ahead of them on her leash, trotting happily. They didn't speak even when they arrived at the car, Will taking his keys out of his coat pocket and handing them to Hannibal, who went around the back and unlocked the trunk to place his bags inside.

After the trunk was locked again, Hannibal handed the keys back to him and as Will pocketed them, they began walking further on down the street. The sidewalks were not that busy, not in the way the city center of Baltimore would have been at that time of evening, but they weren't empty either. He and Hannibal walked for several minutes and a few blocks, heading in the direction of the park Hannibal had mentioned earlier, and it was only after they'd stopped at a coffee shop where they'd purchased some hot, fairly decent coffee and had been walking for a while again, now just entering the park, when Will decided the silence was bothering him.

"I'm sorry about my reaction earlier." he said just loud enough for Hannibal to hear as they walked by two evening joggers coming in their direction on the wide path. Francesca was walking off the path in the grass to the left of Will, who was on Hannibal's left, the full extension of her leash free so she could explore and play on the grass.

He was watching her sniff at the grass, tail wagging happily, when Hannibal responded,

"There's no need to apologize, Will." he said predictably, always too happy to let Will off the hook.

"Yes, there is." he said firmly, turning his head to look at Hannibal, pleased in the new and strange way he'd discovered within himself when he noted they were walking close enough for their shoulders to almost brush. An improvement from the emotionally removed atmosphere Will's reaction had caused back at the office. "I didn't think, I just reacted; every day I'm working on cataloguing my new and old feelings about these things, the conflicted feelings. My reaction was just-…"

"Understandable." Hannibal said, meeting his eyes as he brought his paper coffee cup up near his mouth, "You've not had experience dealing with what happened because you'd never been in that situation before…" he sipped his coffee, licked his lips and looked ahead on the path, "…at least not with a man." he added quietly, sounding a bit resigned but not bitter or begrudging.

That wasn't good though, that defeated note in Hannibal's tone, Will didn't like the way it sounded when Hannibal just _gave up_ on something. Hannibal was right though, he understood the problem, which shouldn't surprise Will, as the older man had _always_ known him so well, too well. Will had never shied away from holding Molly in public when they went out for whatever reason, an arm around her waist or shoulders, their hands linked. He'd never hesitated to sneak kisses from her; lips, neck, cheek, her bare shoulders in the summer when she wore strappy tops. It was natural…and yet, something that was really taken for granted when put into perspective.

It was something heterosexual people truly took for granted, the fact that they could so openly display their affection and not have to worry about unpleasant looks or comments directed at them, and in some parts of the world and certain places far worse reactions. And his reaction from earlier, the shame he'd felt for himself, wasn't any better, as he'd never been the type to look disapprovingly at same sex couples on the rare occasion when he'd seen two men or women together, whether it was walking just a little too close to be friends, maybe holding hands, or the more confident and comfortable pairs sneaking kisses the same way he'd often done to Molly.

And now _this_ , his own same sex relationship, was not something he should feel differently about, he shouldn't disapprove of his own relationship with another man when he'd never even disapproved of others. Hadn't that been part of the many reasons he hadn't been able to stay in the place where he'd grown up? Because of how strongly intolerance still lingered there toward people who were different, who didn't conform, who didn't fit in?

It had. Will hadn't been able to stand being stuck in a place where not everyone was accepted.

That wasn't his life now anyway. Sure there were still homophobic people and intolerant people in all parts of the world – he recalled having come across one a long time ago in that very town, so many years ago before he and Hannibal had even been together that way-, but it wasn't rife, it wasn't the way of life where he was now, not even where he had been before the fall. The world had changed, people had changed. Like Emilia…she hadn't batted an eyelash, if anything she'd seemed to experience a certain amount of girlish glee from having seen them kissing.

"How was your day otherwise, did you and Francesca do anything interesting at home?" Hannibal picked out a conversation to fill the fallen silence, making Will blink back to the moment, making him frown and shake his head, sip his own cooling coffee before mumbling out ' _no, nothing'_.

Hannibal glanced at him as they walked, and perhaps he'd been about to start up another string of safe, benign conversation, but Will didn't wait to find out, not satisfied with where they were on the previous topic,

"I should have more awareness of myself than that. There's no excuse. We're together, that's set in stone and I know it, it's my choice, it's what I want-" he steamed ahead, not overthinking his words, "-and kissing you is not something I have to be ashamed to be doing, it's something I want to do and I can do it whenever I want to, and so I should **not** feel ashamed if anyone **sees** me doing it." he finished surely, despite his ears feeling warm and not being able to make eye contact with Hannibal right then.

There was a beat of silence then, and Will was about to start worrying about unnecessarily speaking his mind on things he was still dealing with inside the chaotic space of his mind, things he was still sorting through with himself.

But then he felt their shoulders bump and Hannibal's hand settled on his mid back, a warm comforting weight that slid down just so to his lower back before the older man's hand fell away again and he said,

"I hold nothing against you, Will." with such infinite and earnest honesty and warmth, "Every day, in so many new ways, some small and some significant, you say and do things that I had only ever imagined I might share with you, or see in you," his tone was soft and warm, "and I am appreciative and grateful for every single one that I am privileged to experience."

Will blinked rapidly as his emotions started to bubble up, running amuck inside his head and making his heart beat faster, his stomach flutter and his chest and throat feel tight.

"And that _everything_ most definitely includes every and any freely given kiss you choose to share with me," Hannibal added quietly, a woman and her child walking by them before he added, "No matter where you choose to share said kiss, or for what length of time or for whatever reason. I'm not about to complain about a single one." he finished with a smile in his voice.

And Will, throat tight around a swallow at the other man's sincere words, couldn't help smiling as he glanced at Hannibal, only to be unable to look away again. Their steps had slowed quite drastically, so much so that Francesca's leash occasionally tugged as she tried to move ahead, and now he was caught up in seeing a promise of patient and unconditional love in Hannibal's gaze, his grip around his cup tightening enough to crease the paper.

He'd never considered that love could possibly be unconditional before Hannibal had shown him that love.

And then he went and really dropped a weight in Will's gut when he added,

"The rest I leave up to time. Perhaps, one day." so tenderly, so openly and without question in his tone, without amusement, without curiosity. Always hopeful, but never expectant.

 _'_ _One day.´_ Will thought, finding that he didn't like the way that sounded at all.

They'd already lost so many _one day's_ , they'd missed so many opportunities, wasted so much **time** , and here Hannibal was, just ready to give up more and more of it. And wasn't that what he'd just been thinking about the day before, about how he no longer wanted to _wait_ and _hesitate_. There was no reason to, nothing stopping him, nothing and no one holding him back except for himself. He was the only one who could change it, he'd realized that, possibly time and time before in the back of his mind, but now it was at the forefront and he going to stop ignoring himself, he was going to _stop_ waiting and stop being stopped by anything.

Will had been staring at the path ahead, having fallen silent, as he often did, after Hannibal spoke, and when he heard a quiet sigh from the older man he realized that once again he'd left Hannibal to wonder after his headspace, to wonder what Will felt about these things. That had been something Will had once preferred in the first days after the fall, back when his trust had been scarce and he'd still held grudges, he'd used the fact that Hannibal had trouble reading him to his advantage, to make the man uneasy and keep him on his toes.

Then things had settled. Then they'd become comfortable. Then Hannibal had kissed him one cold day…and Will had had to face a few difficult facts and truths about their connection and just how deep it ran. Hannibal had always admired entropy, and while it still threw Will off most of the time, he couldn't say he didn't prefer entropy to stagnancy. Hannibal had changed him and he had changed Hannibal. They were different and they were the same. They were alone together. They were free to be truly seen by one another.

He watched then, head full of thoughts, as Hannibal walked away from him and Francesca, crossing the wide walk path to pass by the waste bin set off to the side, into which he dropped his paper cup. It was a quick decision, but even though Will had only barely drank half of his coffee he held out his cup as Hannibal made his way back and gestured with a muttered _please_ for Hannibal to throw his away too.

It wasn't that he didn't want the coffee, it's just that he wanted something _else_ more, and as soon as Hannibal was back and was walking by his side again, their shoulders brushing, he moved just a little closer, so that the backs of their hands bumped, giving Will the opening he'd wanted to move his hand into Hannibal's, palm to palm, Hannibal's hand warm against his own.

Will was still feeling a bit warm from his last blushing episode, and now he felt far warmer still. He didn't shy away from his own action though, turning his head so his eyes could meet Hannibal's gaze when the older man glanced at their joined hands and then looked up into his face. Hannibal smiled, slight and soft and Will did likewise, gripping the handle of Francesca's leash a little tighter in his other hand as a wave of _contentment_ came over him when Hannibal shifted their joined hands so that their fingers were interlocked, closer, tighter, together.

 **Now**.

 _'_ _Not one day.'_ Will's smile lingered as he watched Francesca get excited about something in the grass, most likely a small insect. She was so fascinated by the smallest things and it made Will wonder what background she'd come from before she'd ended up in the shelter. He only hoped it hadn't been an abusive one. The thought made him squeeze Hannibal's hand and he wasn't even surprised when the older man all but read his mind,

"She is happy now, Will, and she is safe, too." he said quietly over the sound of wind rustling the trees and the din of the moving world in general.

Will nodded, blinking lazily and then grinning when Francesca stopped tugging at her leash and came bounding over, her multi-tonal fur, happy wide eyes and dew wet snout catching the lights overhead that lined the walkway.

They stopped walking as she trotted and paced in front of their legs, her tail wagging furiously as Will adjusted the leash length and let the handle hang off his thumb so he could pet her and scratch behind her ears with his fingers…not wanting to let go of Hannibal's hand. And Hannibal held on as well, using his own free hand to reach down and pet Francesca, who whined and panted happily at receiving so much attention on top of having been cavorting freely and exploring in a new place.

She didn't stick around for long though, too curious to wait around for more pets, she quickly turned and ran off into the short grass again, taking full advantage of her long leash as Will released it so she could run over to the nearest tree, her forwards heading making Will start walking again, and in turn Hannibal as well.

The atmosphere had settled comfortably again, Will felt relieved and happy and he was smiling at their happy dog, pleased to be holding Hannibal's –his lover, his partner's- hand securely in his own, his heart beating steadily, his mind clear, every breath a pleasure to take in. The scents of early evening moisture settling on the trees and sailing on the breeze smelled lovely, the faded crispness of winter filtering out to allow spring smells and colours to take over, the lights of Skellefteå bright but not overwhelming, leaving more stars in the sky visible even at that early hour than had _ever_ been visible in Baltimore and even in WolfTrap. It was truly beau-…

Will completely lost his train of thought, because he'd just felt Hannibal lean closer, lightly nuzzle his hair and press a kiss to his hair just above his temple, intimate and soft. He smiled slightly and swallowed thickly, letting the light flip flopping in his stomach settle before he glanced around and took note of how utterly alone they were in the quiet park. He wasn't surprised then that Hannibal was taking chances on some PDA so soon after they'd just talked about it, because there was no one around, and more importantly, Will wasn't even upset by it, because his words would be meaningless if he didn't back them up.

Wanting to show Hannibal he'd meant what he said earlier and determined to push past his ridiculous compunctions, Will decided to return the affection, bringing their interlocked hands up to his face, turned so that he could press a soundless, firm, dry kiss to the back of the older man's hand. And the moment he did he felt the shift in the air around them, he felt Hannibal's amazed disbelief and his elation, aware of it in the way he could only be when Hannibal's guard was completely down. Their fingers remained interlocked as they lowered their hands to hang together between them again.

They'd now walked more than halfway around the circumference of the park and Will spotted a small body of water up ahead, the surface reflecting the artificial lights and moonlight, almost completely still and unmoving. As a precaution he tugged gently on the leash so Francesca gradually came nearer and he reeled in the leash little by little so she couldn't make it to the water when they'd walk by. Satisfied when she was nearer, he hooked his left hand thumb into his coat pocket, and in doing so he felt the hard paper stock of the expensive envelope and was reminded of the letter he'd put into his pocket earlier, forgotten at the time.

He pulled it out of his pocket, noting one of the edges was a little bent as he held it up for Hannibal to see and recall its existence. The Doctor raised his eyebrows at the sight of it, having clearly forgotten about it as well, and Will couldn't help the feeling of smug gratification he experienced whenever he realized how completely he monopolized Hannibal's thoughts.

Hannibal took it from him,

"I had forgotten all about this." he commented as he flipped it over in his free hand just as Will had earlier.

"Me too, just felt it in my pocket right now." he said as he hooked his thumb back into his pocket, feeling a tug of the leash handle against his hand when Francesca did indeed get excited at seeing the water.

"I've no idea what it is, shall I open it?" Hannibal asked almost dismissively, and seeing as how he wasn't the least bit concerned about the strange letter, Will relaxed about it too. If Hannibal felt that secure about their lives in Skellefteå still being secret, then he trusted in it too.

"I guess." Will didn't really care much about when they opened it, he was curious about it though. Opening it of course, meant they had to unlink their hands, which Will was disappointed by, having enjoyed the simple, personal contact, but it was a contact he knew he could initiate again at any time he wanted.

He watched then, absently and futilely calling to Francesca to not get so excited as Hannibal neatly broke the barely stuck seal on the expensive envelope and flipped it open, pinching the paper inside with an elegant, practiced grasp of his fingers – clearly used to handling fine paper and envelope from all those damn dinner invites-, and what he pulled out of the envelope turned out to not be a letter after all.

It was in fact a very fancy invitation of some kind, the front of the invitation was a detailed design made of some kind of hard textured paper and appeared quite like a pair of iron gates in a deep burgundy colour, along with an equally fancy gold coloured seal holding the two closed 'gates' together. Hannibal gently opened the seal and then flipped open the 'gates' either way after folding the envelope behind the invitation itself. Will leaned a little closer to read along with him, see that the calligraphic font and design inside was just as fancy,

"A wedding invitation." he stated as he skimmed over the information printed inside.

Their _friends_ , a long time couple -who as far as Will knew lived in Stockholm-, that they saw a few times a year at specific get-togethers hosted by people in Hannibal's social circle, were requesting their presence at their wedding, which was dated about two weeks from right then. And while the envelope had simply had Hannibal's fake name printed on the front, the invitation listed both of their fake names as the invited persons. Will reread the venue address to confirm what he assumed, and yes, the wedding would in fact be in Stockholm.

"So, they are finally getting married. Elvin did mention that he felt he and Celine had been engaged for long enough the last time I spoke with him." Hannibal commented, sounding disinterested, not requiring the pretense of actually caring about anyone else when he was with Will.

"What was it, like four years of engagement?" Will tried to recall as he looked ahead to Francesca and saw they'd almost reaching the entrance/exit they'd come through earlier.

"I think so, yes." Hannibal agreed, moving the invite and envelope around in his hands so he could check the envelope again, apparently there'd been another piece of paper in it. Fancy paper, too.

After opening it and reading the general greeting, Hannibal read the necessary parts of the personally written note aloud, saving Will the trouble of trying to read the Swedish text from the side as they walked,

" _I hope you are both well. It has been so long since we've all seen each other_..." he paused, choosing to skip some of the other written endearments, " _I had hoped to be able to deliver this invitation to you personally, but as we shall not be in Skellefteå any time soon, I sent it with my cousin when he returned there from visiting us. I asked him to give it to you personally_..."

"So much for that." Will commented, as it had been left at the reception.

Hannibal hummed and thenabruptly folded the note again,

"She goes on to write about how much she hopes we will attend the wedding." he explained shortly as he started to slide everything back into the envelope. And there was nothing particularly suspicious about the action, but Will knew Hannibal so well that even the smallest oddity in his actions or behavior stood out.

Curious as to what was in the note that Hannibal had decided to skip out on telling him, Will reached out and pinched the note from the Doctor's hand just before he could slip it into the envelope. To Hannibal's credit, the most reaction he gave was to avert his gaze from eye contact when Will looked at him while flipping open the folded paper. That reaction confirmed something in the note was iffy.

So, still walking slowly toward the exit, Francesca whining and looking around for what would come next now that they were exiting the park, Will skimmed over the letter's contents, and everything seemed to be exactly as Hannibal had said…except for the end part, right before she sent her regards. Will read it aloud,

" _I look forward to being a guest at your wedding sooner rather than later, the very same dream winter evening wedding you talked of, on the coast of Bjur_ Ö _klub, was it? Beneath the…_ " Will trailed off to finish reading it in his head, _'…beneath the lights of the Aurora Borealis. You are a truly romantic man at heart. I hope you won't wait as long as we did! Time is precious!'_

Will felt his heart beat faster so suddenly, anxiousness and a lightheaded feeling of confused disbelief coming over him at reading the words she'd written, talking about an evening wedding beneath The Northern Lights. Words that Hannibal had apparently actually said to her at some point, probably some point when they'd still been in the asexual era of their relationship considering the time line of the last time they'd all seen one another.

It was a bit terrifying to read, and not just because Hannibal had spoken of a dream wedding he'd most definitely based off of Will's awed reaction to seeing the Aurora Borealis for the first time during one of their hunts years ago, but because of harsh reality of the words ' _time is precious'_ , and facing the fact once again that they'd both wasted so much time.

"Please don't be alarmed by that last bit, Will. It was a conversation from a very long time ago, an evening where she'd had too much to drink and wouldn't stop asking me when we were going to get married." Hannibal said evenly, his tone unreadable as it pulled Will from his stupor of staring into the distance over the top edge of the page. He was vaguely aware that they'd exited the park and were walking on the sidewalk again, heading back in the direction they'd come. He looked at Hannibal's side profile as the man added, "I am surprised she even recalled what I'd said. It was a fleeting conversation, words I'd said intending to stop her from insisting on an answer." he raised his eyebrows fractionally to telegraph his surprise and disapproval perfectly, as he would when trying to play the role of a normal person.

Will wanted to call bullshit immediately, but as he considered the topic and Hannibal's deflective behavior, he realized it was probably a sensitive subject. Talk of marriage…of marrying Will.

Will's chest felt sore for the emotional weight of such a thing, to think only now, so long after, of how Hannibal must have felt every single day, living in the limbo of things he desired while being in love. Not even permitted small affections at the time. It was crushing, it hurt Will to think of how Hannibal must have felt, and yet he'd never faltered, not even _once_ , he'd never tried to push Will past the boundary he'd laid.

 _'_ _Christ, I am such a bastard.'_ he thought with a frown, clenching his jaw lightly as he absently watched Francesca walk closely just ahead of them on the pavement, wary now of the cars around them. He heard Hannibal sigh again and just when he looked at the older man, Hannibal took the letter from his lax hand and folded it sharply, his mouth a thin line now, an expression he wore usually when he was certain he'd screwed something up between them.

But that was not the case, not at all. Will was anything but mad about the new bit of information, because even though he'd never considered marrying Hannibal, not even in a joking sense, he wasn't offended by it, he wasn't put off by knowing Hannibal had thought about it. And thinking of the truth of it as being just as _romantic_ as Celine had said it was made Will ask the first question on the tip of his tongue,

"Is that something you want?" Hannibal looked at him side long, expression becoming faintly wary, as if Will was setting some sort of trap for him, but Will didn't bother acknowledging it, choosing instead to keep his voice even and openly curious as he added, "Or had wanted, back then?" because if it had been a relatively long time ago, maybe Hannibal no longer even thought about it.

He'd never seemed the marrying type…but then, he'd talked about marrying Will, so that was significant somehow.

The look of wariness faded when Will continued to glance curiously and expectantly at him as they walked, and only once they'd crossed the street and were headed up to where the coffee shop they'd passed was, a full few minutes later, did Hannibal answer with a small, wistful and somewhat sad smile on his face,

"I suppose _wanted_ would be more accurate." and for some reason hearing that made Will's next swallow hurt a little, a small crease forming between his brow as he looked at the pavement beneath their feet, thinking that that was all Hannibal had to say about it, but then he softly added, "By now, it is merely a faded fantasy."

Will looked at Hannibal again, eyes a little wider, heartbeat a little louder and shock prickling over his skin, and he swallowed sorely again, smiling somewhere between confused and awkward, but it waned when the word _wanted_ resounded in his head, because apparently Hannibal had gotten over that idea, or had maybe just given up? Maybe Will had worn him down after so much time, had made him not only never be expectant, but also never imagine, to never fantasize.

After all, fantasies and nightmares could be painful. Will could still vividly recall the mixture of the two he'd experienced frequently in technicolor after Hannibal had turned himself in. Everything from Hannibal escaping and finding Molly, Walter and him, killing them all, sometimes just killing Molly as Will watched and did nothing, sometimes just asking Will to leave with him again, to run away, and sometimes in his fantasies he would do it, like he'd always wanted to. Sometimes he'd fantasized about killing Molly himself, which had been frightening but not unexpected, all things considered.

Somehow though, the worst ones, the ones that had hurt him the most, had made him wake up sweating, clammy and shaking badly, were of Hannibal being gunned down and killed during an escape, just trying to get back to Will.

In the beginning Will hadn't been able to make it through the night without sleeping pill sedation, but by the time he'd met, moved in with and married Molly, he'd remastered the fine art of using alcohol to quell and dull his dreams. And when it had happened around her, he'd just claimed it was bad memories resurfacing. It hadn't been living in the end, not really. Just barely, just filler, an interlude that he'd been willing to cling to until he slowly faded away, until the day Bedelia informed him that Hannibal was in love with him. Will couldn't name the emotion he'd felt at finally allowing himself to realize and grasp ahold of that fact. All he'd known in the seconds, minutes, hours after he'd _known,_ was the **need** for Hannibal to be free more than anything else; Molly and Walter had failed to matter after that point, as shameful as it was.

His only intention thereafter, on the bluff, at the end, had been to die…together with Hannibal, whether by Dolarhyde's hand or one another's; he'd wanted to die with Hannibal, to be with him and yet not be with him and not have to suffer the pain of not being with him. What a mess he'd been. What a mess he'd made.

Not having anything to say, they walked on in silence, eventually arriving at the car where Will unlocked the Volvo. Hannibal opened the back passenger door ahead of him and Francesca very cleverly hopped into the car without a fuss, waiting for Will to unclip her leash before she settled down on the backseat. By the time Will had shut the door Hannibal had gone around to the front passenger door and was getting into the car. Will followed suit, opening the driver's side door and getting into the car.

He started up the car once they'd both put on their seatbelts and then Will pulled away from the curb and began the drive home, navigating easily through Skellefteå's light evening traffic. They didn't speak at all for a long time, and in Will's car the radio wasn't even a go-to, since he had no CD's or USB's with music stored on them, having always preferred to drive in silence.

But even though they weren't speaking, Will's mind was constantly turning over what they'd talked about, thinking back and forth over the weight of the knowledge, knowing how serious Hannibal's commitment had always been to him, how he'd have stayed with Will, in a physical relationship or not, married or not.

Hannibal Lecter, a man who always indulged in everything that he wanted and never denied himself anything, never settled for less than what he wanted…had been willing to do exactly that for Will, to keep Will.

Will was not a particularly romantic man, and he was not a person who spent time on daydreams about perfect forever afters or anything like that, but there was something about knowing how much Hannibal loved him that messed with his feelings, and not in a bad way. It wasn't just the power trip of the whole thing, it stemmed from a sense of possessiveness Will hadn't known existed within himself. He'd come to covet Hannibal, just as Hannibal coveted him.

And that was alright, wasn't it?

 _'_ _Yes, it is, why the hell wouldn't it be._ ' he thought to himself, leaving one hand on the steering wheel as he leaned his elbow on the window ledge of the car door, resting his head on his open hand as his eyes focused on the dark stretch of road ahead, a small content smile tugging at his lips. He'd been glancing into the backseat via the mirror to check on Francesca occasionally, but he hadn't looked over at Hannibal yet.

He chanced a glance now and he wound up doing a double take, his smile falling away when he realized Hannibal was not at ease the way he was, sitting a bit stiffly and tense, his dark gaze staring into the darkness outside of the car, lips still pinched in a flat line. All because _once again_ Will had left him standing on ice after their conversation, Hannibal not knowing whether it was thick enough to hold him up or if he'd fall straight through.

Will's own mental metaphor was unsettling enough to make him shiver inside the warm car, and after shifting so both of his hands were back on the wheel, he decided to try to remedy Hannibal's unease,

"Are we going to attend the wedding?" he asked lightly, making sure Hannibal would hear how absolutely fine he was, no anger, no moodiness, no discomfort, everything was fine, everything was great and normal.

Maybe even a little better and a little clearer for Will.

Hannibal met his gaze, brief though it was for Will having to keep his eyes on the road,

"If you would like to, then we certainly can." no question, if Will wanted to go, they'd go.

Honestly, Will didn't give a shit about some fancy, overdone wedding, the one and only time he'd gotten married it'd been modestly done in a court room ceremony with Molly's family and friends and afterwards they'd all gone out to a nice dinner to celebrate. No frills. And perhaps that had been unfair on Molly, who'd been catholic and had probably had a much fancier first wedding in a big church or whatever, but Will was not religious and he wasn't one for material grandeur either.

And yet… _a winter evening wedding on the coast of Bjur_ Ö _klubb, beneath the lights of the Aurora Borealis._ A wedding in such a low-key location wouldn't be overdone and there probably wouldn't be too many guests, but it'd still be magnificent because of the amazing sky view and the thought and time that would likely go into making it special. Hannibal apparently knew him quite well to have imagined a wedding that didn't make Will grind his teeth at the superficiality that generally went into weddings.

Not that they'd ever get married, because Will had no desire to get married again, but well, knowing Hannibal had thought of it in such a way, that was nice.

He raised an eyebrow when he realized how far off track his thoughts had wondered, going from thinking about a real, impending wedding to one that would never happen. One that was only a 'faded fantasy' of Hannibal's. He swallowed around an abrupt lump of emotion in his throat and squeezed his hands once tightly on the steering wheel,

"It's in Stockholm though. That's the capital, Hannibal, tourists everywhere, especially with their wedding taking place in spring. Isn't it too risky?" he honestly wondered. It had been years since they'd disappeared, sure, but the big _what if_ of being recognized was still a great concern.

"Hm," Hannibal hummed softly, shifting a bit in his seat, "it may be. Although, most people don't visit Sweden for their spring vacation, certainly not American people." he sounded even, doing a good job of hiding it, if he was upset by anything.

"Are we going to bank our freedom on vacationer statistics?" Will glanced at him, his tone playfully sarcastic as he smirked, applying the brakes to slow down before turning the car off the main road onto the less tarred and more graveled road that led toward the house.

"It seems like a reckless thing to do, yes." Hannibal sounded like he was smiling, and Will glanced over to see that he was, their eyes meeting briefly before Will looked ahead again, "But I think it would be well worth the risk."

That statement made Will arch an eyebrow,

"Seriously?" he wondered aloud.

"Yes, actually." Hannibal said surely and Will glanced at him again, hands steady on the steering as they passed some scarce trees and neared the house. He was waiting for a good explanation and after a moment Hannibal provided one, "Since the very beginning I've wanted to travel with you." and it stung more than a little to hear that, making Will clench his jaw and his hands on the steering, bracing himself for a verbal flashback of the things they'd lost, but it never came. All Hannibal said was, "And I think we still can and should, even if it's just within Sweden for now." still smiling, making the tension Will had rapidly built up waver and ease out of him.

He'd been about to ask where Hannibal was going with this, when the older man continued,

"It has been many years and we've not once left Skellefteå, we've been exceptionally careful, Will. So, perhaps it is foolish, but I think we deserve a reprieve." he said sincerely. Will frowned then, glad that they'd finally arrived at home so he could focus on the conversation.

He clicked the garage button on his keys just as they rolled up to the paved driveway and Will turned the car off the gravel-grass road with a smooth swing of the car, slowing to a stop for only a few seconds before the door had risen high enough for him to enter the garage. Once he'd parked and switched off the engine, a click of the button had the garage door rolling closed behind them, and neither of them immediately moved.

Will sighed into the quiet as he considered the lives they lived, looking over at Hannibal before raising an eyebrow,

"Do we _deserve_ anything, Hannibal?" Will found himself asking, thinking of their extracurricular activities, of the meat stocked in their basement and their fridge, thinking of how everything they already had was more than anything either of them _deserved_ in life.

Hannibal's jaw clenched and he closed his eyes briefly before wetting his pursed lips and placing his hand on the door handle,

"I wasn't aware that you held us accountable for anything, Will." he sounded a bit clipped now, no doubt frustrated by Will's pointless comment, and he opened his door, getting out of the car with an easy grace. Will stared at Hannibal's empty seat as the door was pushed closed and then the back passenger door was opened for Francesca right after. As she happily jumped out of the car, probably rubbing her hair all over Hannibal's expensive suit pants in her excitement, Will sighed heavily around a wobbly, half-crooked smile, asking himself why the hell he said the stupid things he often did.

The passenger door was pushed shut once Francesca had stopped pacing around Hannibal legs and Will reached for the handle to pop the trunk before he pulled the car keys out of the ignition and opened his door, getting out and pushing his door shut as he watched the trunk come up to block the site of Hannibal from him.

The garage was so quiet now, the quiet only briefly interrupted by Hannibal shutting the trunk again once he had his bags. Will had a ball of tension in his stomach as he watched the tense older man, knowing he shouldn't have said what he did, because while the word _deserve_ seemed too generous with regards to their existence, he didn't actually hold them accountable for anything like Hannibal had suggested. He knew he needed to apologize, and moreover, he _wanted_ to, and he also wanted to hear what Hannibal thought about taking a trip to Stockholm, about traveling with Will, about where they could go and what they could see.

Hannibal was coming around on his side of the car at least, which made it easy for Will to stop him with a light hand on his forearm, the word 'sorry' poised on the tip of his tongue. But immediately when he met Hannibal's dark gaze and saw the man's exhaustion from the vast array of emotional ups and downs Will knew Hannibal put up with from him so often, he just felt like the word _sorry_ was too empty, too hollow, just not enough.

Hannibal had endless patience with him, and he _deserved_ better.

All accountability aside, this was their reality, one that Will was happy living in.

So, looking straight into Hannibal's handsome –yes, he really was very handsome- face, Will pulled him closer by the forearm in his grasp and he absently let his car keys hang off his pinky finger by the key ring, bringing his hand up to take ahold of the back of Hannibal's neck and drawing the older man in and down those meager few inches of height difference to kiss him.

And Will was both nervously surprised and nervously pleased by how natural it felt and welcomed it was to do so, by how Hannibal stepped closer, smoothly leaning in as if it were a liquid movement, as if it was exactly what was supposed to happen; seamless synchronization. Their eyes drifted closed almost simultaneously and their lips met softly, pressing firmer before they fell into the rhythm of opening and closing their mouths against one another's in between passes of the tongues.

Will tasted the strong coffee lingering on Hannibal's tongue as it lapped against his own, he could smell Hannibal's aftershave, his fragranced hair products and with each kiss -wide and languorous and occasionally drawn closed with swollen lips caught in gentle bites- Will felt the rasp of Hannibal's day grown stubble against his mouth and face. And yes, he'd felt it before, and had tried not to notice it too much, but he didn't shy away from it now, instead he let himself properly catalogue the sensation, leaning in more for the next wide kiss and then clenching his fingers into the hair at Hannibal's nape as an interesting new sort of arousal moved through him, settling between his thighs.

And something about him, about their kiss, seemed to affect Hannibal potently; the moment Will felt himself become aroused it was as if Hannibal just _knew_ , because he dropped his bags –laptop one included- onto the smooth concrete floor of the garage and the kiss quickly turned hungry and aggressive. More so when Hannibal unexpectedly grabbed him around his waist, lifted him and pushed him back, Will sucking in a startled gasp against Hannibal's mouth and both hands landing on Hannibal's shoulders to grasp for leverage as his feet left the floor and he felt his back hit the side of his car, forcing a rush of air out of his nose.

There was a small shock of panic that zipped through him at being so easily manhandled, at the fact that his feet only slowly lowered to the ground again, but it passed quickly when Will remembered just _who_ he was with and how many times he'd watched Hannibal handle unconscious bodies with impressive skill and ease. It shouldn't surprise him, even as it did, that he could be lifted like that. And maybe it shouldn't have made him grin into the kiss, but it **did**.

Will couldn't help chuckling as the kiss eased off, Hannibal panting softly against his chin, eyes only slightly open to regard Will grinning at him,

"Might want to calm down," Will teasingly warned, short of breath and giddily amused as he leaned in to press his nose to Hannibal's just so, "If you put a dent in my car I'm going to be pissed."

Hannibal's reaction to that was not what he expected, instead of the playful Hannibal he'd witnessed the day before in the bathtub, he got the somber and tense Hannibal, the older man lowering his gaze as though he was uncertain of himself, appearing tired and moving to pull away as the atmosphere became strained all over again.

Will felt a different kind of panic now; something was wrong, something was misunderstood; did Hannibal not know that he was teasing? Did he think Will was only jesting on the surface? He clenched his hands on Hannibal's shoulders, gripping handfuls of his coat and pulling the older man flush against him almost forcefully, displaying his own strength in yanking Hannibal back to him,

"Hey, I'm kidding." he said slowly, voice tight and still breathy, his hands moving to the sides of Hannibal's face so he could make the Doctor look at him, "Hannibal, I was _kidding_ , okay." he repeated, his tone softer and then he smiled softly when Hannibal finally raised his gaze from between them to meet his eyes.

Again Hannibal's reaction was different than he expected, the older man just staring at him intently, expression tired and tried as he clenched his eyes shut, somehow still managing to look refined while displaying what was obviously stress. Hannibal exhaled loudly after a few seconds, letting his head fall forward so that their foreheads were touching, and then he muttered quietly,

" _[T](www)ai, kad aš tave myliu, nuversiu mane beprotiškai._ " the words came out gruff against Will's face. He didn't understand the language, but he assumed it was Lithuanian from the few times he'd heard it used by Hannibal.

"What did you say?" he asked just as quietly, his voice also just a tad gruffer from the conflicting emotions he was feeling, being happy and content just a moment before and now feeling uncertain and worried over what he'd done to upset Hannibal, "Hannibal, tell me." he stroked his thumbs beneath the older man's sharp cheek bones and dipped his head to catch Hannibal's eyes when they opened again, which was unusual for him, but he found he needed the eye contact right then.

Hannibal looked into his eyes and swallowed thickly, his adam's apple bobbing and his lips parting to exhale softly before he said in a sincere and almost choked voice,

"I never know what you're thinking or feeling, Will, and it makes everything between us seem…" he trailed off, and the moment of pause in Hannibal's usually fluent speech was followed by a humorless huff, "…impossible." the word said in the tone of someone who felt disorientated. That coupled with the feeling of the older man's hands clenching into the back of his coat revealed to Will that Hannibal desperately needed proper answers.

Will felt his throat become sore as a new lump formed, too many emotional turnabouts in one day –all of them his own fault- and he sighed softly, stroking his thumbs under Hannibal's cheek bones again,

"Me and my mixed signals, huh? You must be so sick-…"

"No, Will-…"

"Yes, Hannibal." he cut Hannibal off and held the older man's now insistent gaze, stopping Hannibal from telling him how he'd never be sick of him, how he'd accept anything and everything…because Will already knew that, "There are too many breaks in our communication, and it's at least 80% my fault." he admitted easily, looking into Hannibal's face with a new kind of attention; memorizing his uniquely attractive features, his brown-reddish eyes, the silvery highlights not only in his hair but also in his faint stubble, his sharp cheek bones and the straight even shape of his nose, the shape of his mouth and his lips that sometimes seemed so red, naturally bloody and always warm to kiss.

Will swallowed thickly and tracked his gaze up from Hannibal's lips, over his philtrum, his nose and finally met his eyes when he spoke, "So, here's exactly what I'm thinking. Let's go to Stockholm, I want to go…I want to _live_ this life we have together. And I want people to **know** we are together." he said out aloud but very quietly, and it felt good to say it, to make it real, grinning when he added, "Even if they can't know who we really are."

Hannibal didn't smile back, instead he stared seriously into Will's face and asked,

"Are you sure?" Will started to nod when Hannibal continued, "You're not upset about my thoughts of marriage, or concerned with the immoral nature of-…"

"No." Will reaffirmed his grip on Hannibal's shoulders to stop him from talking, before sliding his fingers to loosely link behind the older man's neck, the car keys shifting and clacking metal against plastic as he did so, "No, please just…forget I said that shit. And…" he sighed and shook his head, "…about the wedding thing, I wasn't even mad about that, I just didn't know what to say." he confessed, raising his eyebrows and pursing his lips absently, tasting Hannibal, distinct and familiar, "I'm sorry, Hannibal, that I'm not always open enough."

"Please don't apologize, Will." Hannibal finally smiled, "There's really no need." the tension draining from his body, Will _felt_ it happen beneath his forearms on the Doctor's shoulders and all along his front where they were still pressed together since Hannibal was leaning against Will leaning against the car.

"Yes, there is." he said quietly but frankly, eyes nearly sliding closed when Hannibal brushed their lips together,

"No, there isn't." the Doctor retorted quite childishly, smiling still and making Will smile too,

"Hannibal." he said the name with mock admonishment, "You can't just let everything slide."

Hannibal pressed a kiss to his lips then, softly firm and clinging, just the intimate symmetry of their lips joining together and then ending a few long seconds later with a soft smack when Hannibal drew back,

"I most certainly can." he smirked, showing off his sharp teeth, Hannibal's own eyes barely open now too as he leaned back in to tease their lips against each other again.

Will smiled, exhaled shakily,

"Christ, Hanni-mm…" and his words were smoothly silenced with another sound kiss.

From there, they picked back up from where they'd left off before being interrupted at the office. The kisses they shared presently going first from just lip to lip pecks, small sucks and quiet nose sighs, to sensuous, breathy and languid deep tongued kisses. And Will was absolutely taken in, quickly immersed in Hannibal's good feelings and his own, as well as in the decadent hunger shared between their mouths. Having slid his hands down so that his arms were around Hannibal's waist beneath his unfastened coat, he was holding the older man tightly close while Hannibal kept one arm around his own waist, his other hand holding Will's face and gently angling the kiss this way and that.

And Will was quietly amazed by how much more pleasurable and effortless it all was when he just let it **be**.

Sometime later though, possibly a few minutes –or perhaps more than just a few judging by the sensitive swollenness Will could feel in his lips- Francesca, who had been patiently lying against the inner garage door waiting for them, became bored with laying around and she began to softly whine, which was loud in the quiet garage and it immediately captured their attention, bringing their extended kissing session to a gradual end. Will opened his eyes halfway, feeling aroused and lightheaded and very warm, he turned his head to see their pet standing and scratching a single paw lightly against the door as her tail wagged as she looked from them to the door and back expectantly, ears twitching.

His eyes drifted closed again and he sighed pleasantly and softly as Hannibal went on kissing him, trailing damp, warm, breathy kisses over his cheek and jaw and then down the bared side of his neck, where the older man _nuzzled_ against his skin and inhaled deeply, an action Will knew would satisfy Hannibal's olfactory senses.

And his voice was a gruff and wonderfully deep vibration against Will's throat when he spoke,

"I do believe we've kept the young lady waiting too long." Will smiled at his amused words, opening his eyes again to look at Francesca, who seemed to know their attention was on her because she seemed much more enthusiastic about scratching at the door now. But Hannibal still managed to be distracting when he dragged his nose and lips all the way up over the side of Will's neck to nose into his ear, saying, "She's quite exasperated with us, I think." and making Will's skin goose pimple.

He huffed a laugh at the ticklish sensation and turned his head to look at Hannibal, their noses bumping, both of them smiling, eyes half lidded,

"She can be surprisingly understanding after a few dog treats." he returned, huffing another laugh when Hannibal grinned again, looking so openly in love it made him feel positively **high** , his heightened empathic awareness picking up on the incorporeal heady mix of their multiple and mutual affections. The moment was so new and yet it felt like it should have been that way for _years_ for how comfortably and naturally it settled between them.

Another few seconds of regulating breathing and brushing, smiling lips passed…and then Francesca whined again and barked once loudly, a statement of ' _hello, I'm still waiting over here_ ', to which they both responded by chuckling and looking at her as they separated, Hannibal stepping back and Will leaning off the car.

And after Will walked over to her he apologized and petted her generously for her patience before unlocking the inner door to the house and pulling it open. She immediately ran up the stairs and Will smiled at her before glancing at Hannibal, who'd picked up his carelessly dropped bags and was walking up to him just then.

They walked through the door themselves then and ascended the stairs, Hannibal closing the door behind them, and while pushing his coat back off his shoulders the question that had become so natural between them just rolled off Will's tongue,

"What's for dinner?"

Hannibal's answer however was unheard of,

"I'm afraid I haven't given any thought to it." his tone sounding lightly amused about that detail, and Will was amused too. And really, he was just fine with that, because knowing that he was the reason Hannibal couldn't think clearly when they were together was ridiculously gratifying.

* * *

Despite Will's decision to let things between Hannibal and him develop at a more natural, less stunted pace, i.e.: quicker, it just wasn't happening that way. Having decided to turn the trip to Stockholm into a five day vacation instead of just stopping in for the wedding and leaving the next day, it meant they were both very busy and distracted in the days leading up to the trip with making plans and arrangements in between their regular daily routines, so in the end they didn't find too much time for anything else.

More accurately though, Hannibal wouldn't presume to make the time for sex and when Hannibal was home in the evenings or on the weekends, Will wasn't yet sure how to smoothly slip sex into Hannibal's coffee, or his shower, or his exercise routine, or when he was cooking or reading or drawing and not even when they got into bed at night, Hannibal usually kissing him chastely and then saying goodnight without any expectation. It was frustrating. Will would think about ideas he could try though, going about his day contemplating ways to start something, but then he'd scrap them all because he'd feel like it would be trying too hard, or was too much like scenes from those rom-coms he'd occasionally watched with Molly. No, no, no.

He chose to put it on the back burner for the moment and focused on the trip, on which there'd surely be more free time for things like sex. And he did want more sex between them, he knew that now with certainty.

So, Hannibal went to work every day as usual, seeing his patients and sorting them out by moving appointments around for the time he'd be taking off. And then when he arrived home each evening they would either cook together or eat the dinner that Will prepared before sitting down in the living room with Hannibal's –new- tablet and Will's personal laptop to work on the details for their trip. They chose the places they'd visit and talked about when and also which extracurricular activities they might try. They weren't planning an itinerary per se, but it was a near thing, seeing as how Hannibal had a few specific things he wanted Will to see and experience in the short time they were willing to risk being in the busy metropolis.

Additionally, they were going to be taking Francesca with them because Will refused to be apart from her so soon after they'd brought her home, which meant instead of a one hour flight, they'd be taking an approximate 9 hour drive across the country heading south to Stockholm. They'd decided to take the Volvo because it was more practical for the long distance drive and they'd leave at around midday two days before the wedding in order to arrive in Stockholm at night. Will had had to arrange taking the Volvo in for a service check just to make extra sure it was running fine while Hannibal arranged a nice –but not overly fancy- holiday apartment for them, which was preferable to a hotel because they could all be comfortable as well as have more privacy than a hotel would provide.

And in between all of the planning Will continued to train Francesca and he spent time sorting out the storable food in the house, keeping it separate from the stuff they'd have to use up before they left, especially the meat. They'd also put any hunting trips on hold to make the trip and Will found it amusing that upon their return home they'd probably need to visit a good ol' fashion butcher shop for some animal meat to eat for a while, since Will couldn't imagine Hannibal Lecter eating a meatless meal of any kind and they wouldn't be able to go hunting immediately. He made a few trips into town as well over the days, purchasing items they'd all need for travel, and during one of those trips in the middle of the day when he didn't have Francesca with him and Hannibal was at work, Will made a discreet trip to a private drug store he preferred to use, where he purchased some personal items.

Purchasing lube and condoms the first time hadn't been too difficult or uncomfortable; they weren't odd things for any man to be purchasing. He'd been more or less fine with it even when he'd blushed at having to estimate which condoms would be the best to get based only on what he'd seen of Hannibal just that one time they'd slept together. But purchasing the enema, **that** had put him totally out of his comfort zone, which had been silly of him, because he'd purchased the enemas separately from the lube and condoms, on different days entirely, and so the people at the drug store couldn't have known it was for anything non-medical, and yet he'd still felt his ears get searing hot when he'd been paying for the items each time.

And then worse still had been using them, it had been nerve wracking, awkward and uncomfortable using it before they'd had sex that first time, and Will had decided he hated it immediately. He'd been uncertain but honestly relieved when Hannibal had told him he didn't need to use it in future, and while the second time they'd slept together and he hadn't used it he'd been just as nervous, awkward and uncomfortable for other reasons, those feelings had passed as the experience went on, and now he felt fairly comfortable and confident without using it.

And better still, he didn't need to purchase the damn thing ever again.

He didn't even think he needed to be purchasing lube and condoms, since Hannibal probably had done so already, but he did it just in case…and who knew, maybe they'd even need them…

He was playing with Francesca outside in the open land around the house when that last thought occurred to him and he blushed hotly, all the way from his ears down to his chest, turning redder than his already exertion flushed skin was from running around. He smiled an awkward and stupid smile, ducking his head as if there was anyone around to see it, and then his smile turned into a goofy grin when Francesca came running back with her ball and he tossed it for her again, watching as she bounded after it, so carefree. She was now allowed to be off the leash when they were at home, but only when Will was present to watch her of course.

As he waited for her to come back to him, his thoughts returned to his latest purchases. It was unrealistic to think they'd use all the condoms up anytime soon, not least considering that it was just a few days before they'd leave for Stockholm and nothing sex-like was likely to happen unless Will made it happen...

Will found he actually looked forward to a time when Hannibal would not hesitate to initiate sex, it would make it easier on him for one, and also, Will just knew that if Hannibal could have his way, then not a day would go by without sex of some kind. For an older man he really was very virile and he had a hell of a lot of stamina. Will couldn't say he was surprised actually, since Hannibal wasn't _normal_ , and now that Will felt ready to get on with their lives together, he wanted to put that stamina to use more regularly. He wasn't getting any younger either.

He let out a frustrated huff and ran his hands through his hair as he watched Francesca come loping back with her ball in her mouth. All of the thoughts – the _horny_ thoughts- going around in his mind were making him feel hot and bothered, his cock feeling heavy and thicker inside his jeans. He wasn't surprised by it though, because despite having always had trouble with being comfortable enough to have sex with someone, Will had always liked the actual act of sex itself. Nothing wrong with sex at all.

Certainly nothing wrong with sex with Hannibal. He sure as hell knew what he was doing, that was for sure…

"God, I'm making it worse." he muttered into the fresh, cool afternoon air as he closed his eyes briefly and exhaled loudly, opening his eyes again to watch as Francesca played with the ball by herself for a bit, dropping it and hopping away and then nudging it, grabbing it up in her mouth again before running around. She was becoming independent very quickly. It made Will smile every time as he watched her.

He decided then that he'd give her an extra half an hour's play time before they went back inside, and hopefully by then his _stimulating_ thoughts would have calmed down and he'd be able to focus on something besides sex and Hannibal.

* * *

An _hour_ later Will brought Francesca back to the house, stopping on the front deck and grinning all the while at how happy she was as he brushed her thick coat of fur down to minimalize her shedding in the house, before he petted her, giving her lots of attention and love.

And he'd been sufficiently distracted for a time outside, and even after that; once he'd refilled her water bowl and had begun to go about doing a few not entirely necessary house chores, just little things that kept him busy. He passed another hour before he decided to head upstairs and take a shower so that he could start preparing something for dinner, but then he walked into the bedroom and his eyes fell on the unmade bed which, after _many_ times saying it over and over since he'd pretty much stopped going to work, he'd finally convinced Hannibal out of the habit of making it up first thing.

The sheets were rumpled, but not terribly untidy, the blanket folded more onto Will's side from when Hannibal would have moved it off himself when he'd woken up after Will that morning. And it was a sight he'd faced once or twice now, so it wasn't anything new, but with how he'd been feeling earlier on, different thoughts were turning over in his mind, and seeing their bed reminded him of how he'd woken up that morning, lying on his side facing Hannibal, who'd been asleep on his back, head turned slightly away. Will had watched his sleeping face for a while, which was a slightly more relaxed version of the older man's usual 'at rest' expression, and he remembered smiling sleepily into his pillow when Hannibal's mouth had fallen open and his throat had clicked when he swallowed, before he'd brought a hand up to rub unconsciously at his nose and eyes, settling into sleep again a moment later.

Will had woken up and seen Hannibal asleep before many times, and yes, he'd even taken moments in the past to watch the older man occasionally, just to see him being so _human_. But that morning was the first time Will's eyes had wandered from the Doctor's mouth, down over his stubbly jaw, the shallow rise of his adam's apple, the hollow of his throat, his clavicle and then the thicket of his chest hair, and it was the first time he'd wanted to reach out and _touch_. He'd wanted to scratch his blunt nails over Hannibal's chest hair, feel the firm skin and definition of his flesh, muscle, bone and tendons as he'd have slid his hand upwards…it was the first time he'd thought about waking the older man up with a kiss.

Of course, he hadn't, but the thought had made him blush and feel flustered and the subsequent imagining of how Hannibal would likely react from being woken up that way…well, it had started his day off with more than just the usual morning wood.

And now that he thought of it, currently stepping in and closing the bedroom door behind himself, Will realized that having started his day off feeling aroused was probably the reason he'd been horny for most of the day. His mind and body were both growing more comfortable every day, his desires becoming more tempting and distracting, easier to think of, easier to imagine following through on, like the idea of waking Hannibal up with a kiss. And Will had stopped thinking 'one day' and had instead begun to see things in a more short term goals scope, like 'maybe tomorrow.'

"Maybe tomorrow." Will repeated aloud into the spacious bedroom, glancing around the open and tidy space which was filled with their mixed scents and personal touches, and as he crossed the room to the bathroom, Will amused himself –and further turned himself on- wondering whether, if he had kissed Hannibal awake, would the man have risked being late to work to stay home to spend the morning with him…having sex.

"Jesus." Will muttered, shaking his head and trying not to smile at his own thoughts as he pushed the bathroom door shut behind him, immediately beginning to undress as he crossed the bathroom to the counters. He pulled his shirt up over his head and then opened the furthest corner cupboard, inside which the dirty laundry clothes hamper was built into. He dumped the shirt in before he unfastened his jeans and dropped them to his ankles along with his underwear and after Will had pulled off his socks and all of his clothes were in the mostly empty hamper, he shut the cupboard.

Stepping into the shower, Will fell into the general routine he always followed, standing under the hot water to soak his skin and hair thoroughly until he felt relaxed, and then he proceeded to wash himself with the expensive bath products he'd become accustomed to, lathering up his hair with silky soap and smoothing it over with even silkier conditioner. Washing his skin with rich, creamy liquid soap, all the products so subtly yet noticeably scented that it would linger on his skin and in his senses for the rest of the evening…and in Hannibal's.

The thought of Hannibal nuzzling at his curls and inhaling his scent as they'd greet one another later with a hug – a recent and growing development- and kiss when the Doctor came home made Will dip his head under the spray and sigh softly, pursing his lips as his cock, which had yet to stop feeling thick and heavy and distracting almost all day, stirred anew. It was kind of like he was rediscovering himself sexually.

He pictured Hannibal smiling, humming, pleased, and kissing his neck, and he'd be smelling good as well, the older man always did and Will would lean into it, into him and feel all good things and so completely at home.

In the end it wasn't even more than the idea of nuzzles and closeness and soft greeting kisses that had him sliding a soap smooth hand down to wrap around his stiffening cock, grip loosening and tightening intermittently as he began to stroke his sex. Despite having not masturbated in a while he still knew himself, knew the rhythm and tension and pace that he liked, and he jerked himself off steadily and without hesitation, mouth open as he breathed heavily into the steamy air. He kept one hand propped against the wall for balance and his head dipped, the water running over the back of his head, sluicing through his hair and down over his forehead, into his closed eyes, into his ears to warp and drown out any and every sound, running over his face, running off his nose and lips and cheeks and his neck and down his back.

Behind his eyelids flashes of his intimacy with Hannibal played like a highlight reel; their heated kisses, the taste and feeling of Hannibal's tongue moving against his own, the weight of his fit body, presence of his hands grasping and caressing and holding, gripping with retrained strength, dangerous yet controlled.

Will exhaled a moan as he twisted and pulled rhythmically at his fully hard cock, his fingers spread out on the dark tile, fingertips pressed white with pressure as pleasure rippled and coursed through his body.

The memories and images continued in his mind, morphing and changing, speeding up and slowing down; Hannibal's hand on his cock, Hannibal's mouth there next, moving up and down, sucking eagerly, Hannibal naked, his erection weighty and intimidating and holding Will's full attention. The knowledge of how it felt against him through Hannibal's pristine clothes, hard and restrained, or bare, equally hard but then hot and sticky in his own hand or against his hip. How it felt between his ass cheeks, pressing into him as he felt himself _open_ , the breath hitching pressure of it, the moment when Hannibal was _inside_ and Will's prostate would yield and make every nerve in his body alight with that unique and slow building yet concentrated tug of intense pleasure.

Will's breaths were quiet and inconsistent gasps now, water collecting against his inner lower lip and against his teeth, making his mouth feel wet and hot, everything stifling and steamy in the shower cubical. He shifted, steadying his feet on the shower tiles, body twitching with building sensation, and slid his other hand down, bringing it between his legs to rub and roll his balls as he slowed his masturbation, his thoughts vividly flashing through more evocative images, both obscene and sentimental.

Hannibal thrusting roughly into him, kissing his ankles, running hands through his hair, linking their fingers, Hannibal grunting, muscles tight and firm and moving graphically beneath his skin, Hannibal saying his name reverently, laying against him in bed, holding him close, Hannibal's hand between his legs, his fingers seeking, finding, entering, slick and long and _inside_ …

"Aaah, fuck." Will gasped out, eyebrows drawing together, veins and tendons standing out in his neck and on his forearm from breathlessness and strain as his pace increased rapidly, bringing him closer to orgasm. He could feel it coming on in his abdominal muscles and the muscles of his inner thighs, in the tightness of his balls…and also in the new awareness he had of the clenching tightness of his asshole.

And as a last minute idea, curiosity urging him on, Will left off from holding the heft of his balls and slid his hand further back, everything on its way there feeling smooth and wet and hot and familiar yet _not_. He squeezed the base of his cock before stroking tightly upward to his leaking, purpling cockhead just when his fingers almost innocently stroked over the wrinkled-tight dip of his anus. And much like that one time he'd attempted to touch himself _there_ in the bathtub, nothing phenomenal happened, and it didn't feel quite as intensely arousing as it did when Hannibal touched him.

But it _did_ arouse him, it did make his cock throb with a fresh rush of blood, it did make his already heated skin swarm with a new flash of heat. It was something, and it felt good to touch himself in a place he now knew was a deeply erogenous zone, outside and _in_. But even as he continued to masturbate himself and rub his index and middle fingers over the pucker of his anus, pressing and circling there, testing and reacting to the faint pressure and feeling of being prodded, Will still couldn't bring himself to actually breach it, especially not when everything was in high tension mode, blurring hot and pulling taut and thumping his blood loudly in his ears and veins and making his muscles twitch, deep aching pulses and flares in both places where he was stimulating himself as he rushed closer…closer…clos-…

He came while erratically stroking his cock,

"Aaah…ah, haa...nnn…" rubbing and pressing between his ass cheeks, hips twitching, his mouth hanging open, eyes clenched shut, brows raised high and toes curling. His senses flooded with pleasure as his ejaculate flooded over his fingers, the tackiness of his semen being washed away by the water before it could cling to his skin and for several long moments he felt dazed with satisfaction.

After a while, as the pleasure simmered down and settled to a pleasant buzz under his hot skin, Will pressed his lips together and panted softly and wetly through his nose, absently stroking over his sensitive cock to draw out a few more zings of pleasure as well as to rinse himself clean, his other hand sliding forward between his legs to massage his scrotum a final time before he left off from touching himself completely.

He felt relaxed then, lethargic and buzzed and calm, because despite the orgasm being different and much less powerful and near blinding as when he came from the inclusion of prostate stimulation and Hannibal's presence, it was still very enjoyable.

As he opened his eyes, staring half lidded down at his pinked toes against the pebbled tile, Will lazily re-soaped his hands and washed his privates, finding himself wondering whether Hannibal ever masturbated, whether he'd ever masturbated in the years before they started sleeping together. Logically he knew the answer would be yes, even if it was probably scarcely done, but the idea was still hard to imagine for him. He was rinsing his hair and body off a final time as he thought about how if he'd have watched Hannibal masturbate that one fateful night when he'd posed naked for the Doctor on the bed, then he'd know now exactly what it looked like.

He turned off the water and exited the shower when it occurred to him that he wouldn't mind watching that, to see how it looked when Hannibal pleasured himself. As it was, he'd liked watching Hannibal come undone on the two occasions he'd masturbated the older man himself.

There was _so_ much to explore, and Will was aware of his quickly building curiosity; from his new experience of masturbation just now to the idea of Hannibal touching himself while Will watched…wondering if Hannibal would want to watch as he masturbated too.

 _'_ _Of course he would.'_ Will smirked, having grabbed a fresh towel from the stack folded on the counter – yet to be packed- to dab his face and neck dry with it. He knew how _many_ things Hannibal wanted to do with and to him, and probably for him too, and he took it as a positive sign that he could think of it now and find the idea intriguing, desirable even, instead of terrifying.

It was good, things were going well, he wasn't anxious or uncertain, he didn't feel ashamed, he wanted to know more, to experience more, to know himself physically, just as intimately as he'd come to know himself mentally with Hannibal in his life. He wanted them to _know_ one another completely.

Things were definitely changing and Will felt really good about it all, and as he was leaving the bathroom with a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, glancing out at the gradually greening landscape of the countryside through the floor to ceiling windows, Will could still feel the ghost sensation of his own fingers rubbing over sensitive nerves, making his still warm skin redden further as he chuckled, thinking, ' _So much for straight, linear masturbation'_.

* * *

Later that evening, Will's mind _still_ preoccupied with his thoughts from the morning and all afternoon, while he was packing the last few of his things for their trip, he decided with some finality to pack something else too. He wasn't sure whether he'd have the guts to use it for the idea he had half formed in his mind, but nevertheless he ventured into the bedroom in the house that used to be his to fetch the item before packing it deep and hidden in his luggage; heat burning his ears and heart pounding in his chest as he did so.

The trip down to Stockholm didn't feel quite as long as he'd thought it'd feel even though it was extended to an additional hour and a half due to stopping several times for Francesca, at a rest stop for him and Hannibal, and at a few extra stops too, which were for him more than Hannibal, so he could take in the beautiful landscape sights.

And it only occurred to Will when he decided that he wanted to take photographs to document the sights of their trip together, that they didn't actually own a camera. He made a mental note to buy one when they were in Stockholm, but for the present trip his iPhone served the purpose just fine, and Will took _many_ photos. Even though the sights largely consisted of rolling brown and newly greening hills, white clouds, trees and trees, rocky paths, distant mountains and the occasional farm or small village, it was still new to Will, being more than he'd ever seen of Sweden in all the time they'd lived there, so he took pictures.

He also took photos of Francesca exploring as far as her leash allowed her to go, and when Hannibal suggested he take some pictures with Francesca, Will handed his phone over after a moment of awkward hesitation –never having been one for photographs- and he stood and crouched for a few pictures with their happy dog, the beautiful country roadside serving as their backdrop.

And when they'd been back on the road, Hannibal's turn to drive the second stretch of the trip, just before the sun could begin to set, Will had experimentally snapped a side profile picture of Hannibal while the older man was focused on the road. He'd been contentedly listening to his classical music, which Will had transferred to a USB because he knew Hannibal would appreciate it during the drive and Hannibal merely glanced at him when he'd taken a picture, the older man smirking slightly. His lack of a negative reaction had only encouraged Will.

So before it had become too dark, Will had suggested they make another stop when they were crossing a stone bridge suspended over a shallow river of water, surrounded by trees with far reaching landscape and pink-orange-hued sun set clouds in the background. It was too picturesque to pass up, and knowing Hannibal appreciated aesthetic, Will –unlike himself but not about to feel weird about it- asked Hannibal to take a picture with him standing against the side of the bridge with the stunning view as their backdrop.

He hadn't known what to expect, since he didn't actually know how Hannibal felt about taking personal photographs, but the older man didn't decline, didn't even seem to need to think about it…okay, he seemed pretty damn pleased actually, and in the end they'd taken several pictures, together and alone of one another. Most were experimental ones where they tried to figure out who should hold the phone, who took better, steadier pictures –unsurprisingly, the former surgeon's hands won on that one- and by the time they'd lost another twenty minutes of their trip, Will was sure they'd taken about 40 to 50 photographs together, more than half of them trying to get a few decent ones together in the frame.

It had been amusing and fun, a truly unique moment shared between them, and Will had spent the remainder of the drive smiling and humming along mentally to one of Brahms Symphony's, the sound of calm, eclectic violin music filling the car...lulling him into a relaxed doze in the passenger seat as the road became darker and darker.

* * *

A few hours later, after they'd arrived in Stockholm and were somewhat settled into the apartment, all three of them relaxed and ate supper in the living room with no formalities. Francesca would be dining on a temporary diet of dog kibble throughout the trip, while for the first night of their stay he and Hannibal –to Will's amazement- ate _takeout_ food. They'd stopped at a busy food place called _Teatern_ on the way to the apartment where they'd ordered the food from an extensive and varied menu. Will had been impressed by all the choices, foreign and local, and he'd even decided to try something new, having asked what _kroppkakor_ was and Hannibal had explained it was a dumpling-like food, which coincidentally was similar to a Lithuanian dish called _cepelinai_ according to the gourmet. At hearing that Will had insisted that he wanted to try it, after all, Hannibal _never_ cooked Lithuanian food because he'd once said Will wouldn't like it much, which he'd also said about the _kroppkakor_ mind you, before and after it had been purchased.

And yes, he was right, Will hadn't enjoyed it, but at least he'd _tried_. That was the excuse he used to get Hannibal to try a mouthful of his Thai noodles, which Hannibal ate graciously from Will's extended chopsticks with a smile and without complaint, pleased about something or the other, and so Will by extension felt pleased about something or the other too as they sat close on the largest sofa and shared an unusual but still somehow intimate meal together, leaning close and sharing bites of Asian, Scandinavian and Spanish food. It was ridiculously cliché lovey dovey in a lot of ways…and Will felt unbelievably okay with that.

And that's what Will was presently thinking about while he was laying in the double bed of the bedroom, comfortably stretched out, wearing only a pair of light gray boxer briefs and a white long sleeve T shirt – the apartment being only just chilly. Hannibal had offered for him to shower first after they'd eaten and he'd accepted. So, right then Hannibal was in the bathroom and Will was reclined on his back in bed, the warm duvet half draped over his legs, his head rested back on the soft pillows, slightly damp curls leaving moisture behind on the dark blue pillowcase as he held his phone up above him at eye level with one hand while swiping through the photos they'd taken that day, the fingers of his other hand tapping an absent tune against his sternum.

He was deleting the worst of them, but many of the pictures were actually really nice. Will had always known Hannibal was reasonably photogenic from pictures online and in newspapers from years before, but he'd never known that he was too, but that was probably because he'd always hated photographs being taken of him. He quickly banished the thought of Freddie fucking Lounds and her awful pictures of him posted all over her tacky website before it could piss him off and instead went back to swiping by or deleting the pictures he liked and didn't like.

It took a few minutes and by the time he was done, the fifty four photos were reduced to twenty nine and surprisingly fifteen of those were of him and Hannibal together, some of them smiling and laughing, not even looking properly at the camera and then a few almost perfect shots of them smiling at the camera, at each other or at something in the near distance. He was just going through the saved ones again, looking for one in particular and when he came to it he paused on it. It had captured his attention earlier and he'd mentally made a note to come back to it; he looked over it now, eyebrows slowly rising on his forehead.

If not for a piece of Hannibal's arm being visible where he was holding the phone up, the photo almost looked like something that would be used in a glossy magazine advert for couples celebrating their one year anniversary or one of those articles about how to keep your relationship healthy in order to stay together, _'Or a wedding picture…'_ Will thought with a hint of warmth tingling along the shells of his ears. Honestly, all it needed was a black and white or soft lighting effect on it and it would be unbelievably fitting for such a thing.

The picture had been snapped in landscape, the late afternoon sunlight mostly shining on Will, making his curls appear dark bronze and very shiny. It also washed some of the blue-green colour from his half-lidded eyes, making them appear a very faint grey. His skin looked unblemished and not too pale even with his dark blue Henley and fine dark facial hair and the neck line of said shirt seemed almost _posed_ on his shoulders for the way it made his clavicle look defined, along with the line of his throat and jawline. And then there was Hannibal beside him, who had the kind of sharp, angular bone structure that caused the sunlight to touch only certain parts of his profile while casting shadows over others almost artistically. The silver in his loosely styled hair looked shimmery and reflective between the dark browns and blondes, and the ivory fitted sweater he wore clung to his broad shoulders and shapely chest in a very attractive way.

They both looked really good, Will could easily see that, anyone could, but it was how they stood, more or less facing each other, leaning in to one another that really caught his attention. Hannibal's other arm was only partially visible between them but was clearly settled around Will's mid-back, the fingers of his hand visibly splayed against the material of the back of Will's shirt. And Will was also holding him, his arm half around Hannibal's waist while his other arm was bent so his fingers were hooked into the pocket of his denim jeans. And then there was the way they were looking at each other; both smiling, Hannibal surprisingly wider than Will in this particular image as the older man stared _adoringly_ at him, at his nose and mouth. And Will was just the same, his half-lidded gaze settled between Hannibal's nose and his smiling mouth, their faces just far enough apart to be decent but still close enough to plainly reveal the closeness and the intimacy between them.

Will tried to remember what they'd been talking about when Hannibal had taken that particular photo, but he couldn't recall. They certainly hadn't been saying anything romantic to one another or cooing at each other like enamored love birds in the way the image suggested…but then, maybe the fact that they'd been looking at one another like they wanted to kiss each other despite _not_ thinking about it revealed more about them, about their feelings for each other, than anything else.

He blinked lethargically as he stared at the image for a while longer, and then without giving himself a chance to debate whether or not he should, he sent the picture to Hannibal's iPhone. He didn't really have a reason for deciding to do so, because it's not like he thought it'd end up as a screensaver on Hannibal's phone -he didn't think the older man would do something so commonplace- or a framed picture on their antler adorned mantle at home, but he was curious about what Hannibal's reaction and feelings would be to the picture, if there was any at all. It was _just_ a photo in the end.

Will himself though had set one of the pictures of himself and Francesca, which Hannibal had taken, as his current wallpaper, and now he was rethinking it, wondering if maybe it was too obviously excluding Hannibal. He sighed softly to himself and frowned a bit as he thought about the fact that he'd used to have a picture of Molly, Walter and himself as a wallpaper on his phone in his former life, which, mind you, he hadn't set himself. It had originally been a picture of two of their dogs sleeping in ridiculous positions, but Molly had changed it at some point and he'd just never changed it back.

He remembered thinking at the time that Molly had been making some kind of point about them being a family by setting that picture, that he hadn't been alone anymore, and so he'd left it that way so she'd see it, she'd see what she needed to see in him. She'd never really understand the fact that every time he'd unlocked his phone and had seen that picture he'd been bombarded with conflicting and bittersweet emotions; sweet because she and Wally had always been amazing and he'd loved them in a way, but bitter because no matter what, he'd always really belonged to Hannibal, heart and head back then…and now in body as well.

That phone was at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean somewhere now, and that picture was lost…but not lamented. Will was making new memories, there was no room for anything from his gray past in his new life, and maybe this time, unlike before, he'd be the one to cement the things he had into his life by his own actions, to make his own point. Maybe that's the subconscious reason he wanted Hannibal to see their picture and feel something, Will wanted him to know that he was no longer alone, they were together, damn near picture perfect too.

Hannibal entered the bedroom right then, the bathroom being across the short hall, and Will's eyes dropped from his phone to settle on the older man, watching as Hannibal closed the door behind him, idly smoothing his towel dried damp hair back with a graceful comb through of his slender, long fingers. He was already half dressed in the pants of his expensive pajamas, but shirtless as he crossed the bedroom to where Will had half unpacked their luggage earlier while Hannibal had tidied up after dinner for them. With his attention newly focused now, Will locked his phone absently and lowered his arm to rest his hand and phone on his stomach, waiting until Hannibal had successfully located his pajama top before he spoke,

"How was your shower?" he asked with an arched eyebrow, already half smiling even before Hannibal gave him a knowing look, and then Will outright grinned, "Didn't the advert for this place have pictures showing that the bathroom was painted a pink colour?" he was trying not to snicker but it was difficult to manage.

"Coral actually," Hannibal corrected pointlessly and Will half rolled his eyes, "and no, actually. It was white in the photographs online, but the smell of paint is still noticeable," Will hadn't noticed a damn thing, "so, I assume it's somewhat recently done." so it probably was not very recently done, but for Hannibal, well, he did a version of a shrug, which was basically just a moment of less than perfect posture.

When Hannibal turned and walked toward the empty side of the bed, fastening his pajama top buttons absently, Will shrugged facially,

"At least they maintain the place, right?" he was still half grinning, absently tapping his fingers on the back of his phone.

"If 'at least' were the standard by which the world was governed, existence would be a sorry state of affairs." Hannibal complained in what was a rather refined mutter and with no amusement in his tone and no smile on his face, but Will rectified that by reaching out and flipping the duvet cover back for the older man to get into the bed. Hannibal smiled at him then, coral pink bathroom quickly forgotten, and he left off buttoning his half fastened top to lean a hand on the bed for balance as he grasped Will's extended hand in his other, holding it with a gentlemanly grasp as Hannibal bent over and brought it up to press a kiss to his knuckles, like Will was so much royalty to him.

He let his hand flop gracelessly back to the bed when Hannibal released it, but he was still smiling, his chest feeling warm and his heart beating a little quicker, light and alive in the cage of his ribs. He averted his gaze and lifted his hand away as Hannibal got into the bed, having adjusted the pillows so that he was laying on only one and level with the way that Will was lying almost flat, and then Hannibal adjusted the duvet neatly over his waist once he was settled so that his long legs were covered.

"You're so fussy." he said fondly, smiling up at the white ceiling, absently listening to the sounds around them; the noise of the city a few floors below them, which only barely filtered in through the closed windows and balcony doors, and yet it was so loud compared to the quiet of their isolated house. It was noisier than Wolf Trap had been, too.

"I have preferences." Hannibal responded evenly and Will rolled his head to look at the older man, and he'd been going to say something but then he stopped himself, instead staring at Hannibal's side profile. The older man had his eyes closed and his lips were curled up into a soft, charmed smile, one arm bent up with a hand tucked under his head while his other arm was rested along his side with his hand relaxed against the bed covers.

He looked so at ease, so comfortable, so human and soft and touchable, and yet still so regal, so confident and sure and sharp and dangerous and _other_ , and Will realized all over again that he'd long ago reconciled the monster and man. He'd long ago been able to see **and** accept and love him, truly. Hannibal was his _entirely_ , as much as he was Hannibal's, and thinking of that brought all of Will's frustrations from the past weeks flooding back.

Wetting the seam of his lips lightly as his recent thoughts, determinations and actions triggered his _wanting_ , Will felt the warmth from his chest move downward so fluidly and pointedly to his cock that he almost arched off the bed slightly. His body was hot in an instant, and using the onset of heat as incentive to drive him forward, to overcome his inexperience, to push himself to do the things he wanted to, Will turned, pushed himself up and moved closer to Hannibal under the duvet in one quick movement, the older man's eyes opening when he felt Will's weight dip the bed just beside him.

Hannibal remained supine and curious as Will balanced his weight above him, over him, Will pressing his hands into the mattress and pillow either side of Hannibal's shoulder and head as he lowered his body atop the Doctor's with one of his legs sliding down between Hannibal's, the material of his pajamas smooth and soft against and between Will's bare legs. He was immediately aware of the sudden tension in his own body, of his accelerated heart rate and quickened breathing, the insecurity of not knowing exactly where he was going with this setting his nerves uncomfortably alight and causing his skin to turn lambently red, his skin feeling prickly and too hot now.

But he was determined not to just give up and back off, to see where his actions and his desires would lead, because Hannibal deserved an actively reciprocal partner, someone who didn't need to be tiptoed around all the time, someone who returned his passion. And Will **wanted** those things too, so he lowered himself to his forearms, bringing their faces much closer and he leaned in, sealing his lips against Hannibal's just when the older man leaned up to meet him, their eyes sliding shut at almost the same time; the moment their lips touched.

This is what Will hadn't had the guts to do all along, and he felt a certain amount of elation at finally properly and boldly initiating something between them, also, Hannibal had parted his legs for him just so and was pressing up into him and it all just added to the feeling of progress as well as to Will's arousal and confidence. Bolstered by his success, Will decided that he wanted control of the kiss, so he pressed into it and forced Hannibal's head back into the pillow. Of course, no express force was necessary as the older man didn't try to resist his assertiveness at all. Will was reminded then that there was no competition between them, it wasn't a game or a challenge, it was _kissing_ , and realizing that along with the ease of submission from Hannibal relaxed Will.

As Hannibal had said to him before; it didn't matter who was standing, sitting, lying down or kneeling. It was about what they wanted and being able to be with one another how and when they wanted to. It was about desires and needs and wants and _pleasure_. About Happiness. Whatever made them happy, whatever felt right, whatever came naturally to them.

His thoughts turned themselves over as background noise as he kissed Hannibal, who had pliantly parted his lips so that they were now licking with mutual enthusiasm into one another's heated mouths, heads angling from side to side as they sought deeper tastes, their tongues stroking, lips sliding and damp, breaths catching and mingling, moist and humid. Hannibal slowly drew his leg up between Will's as they kissed and his hand that had been at his side came up to smooth down Will's back, all the way down his spine into the curve of his lower back, encouraging Will into an inward arch as the older man rocked up, giving Will friction and making him roll his hips and grind down against the older man's hip as well as back against his muscular thigh.

And it felt good, so good, the natural way he moved against Hannibal, who was doing likewise, pressing up into Will, the older man's cock just as hard as Will's, both trapped inside the material of their sleep clothes but for now receiving a fair deal of friction from their slow grinding as they kissed. Will hadn't realized he was clenching white knuckled into the pillow beside Hannibal's head, or that he was sliding his body and rocking his hips rhythmically against Hannibal's, causing their shirts to ride up, more skin to touch, not until he felt the Doctor shift, removing his own hand from behind his head and bringing it to settle at the side of Will's neck. Will's leave of his senses were lessened then, when he was reminded of the level of strength in the body beneath him, reminded from just the firmness of the hand on his lower back and the large hand against the side of his neck, that Hannibal could flip them, could take over and lead the way to a blinding orgasm, no effort required on his part…

Will broke off from the kiss then, panting loudly, deeply aroused and still grinding down against the Doctor, but having regained some awareness as he moved his kisses down over Hannibal's chin and jaw, he distinctly tried not to think of the fact that Hannibal could easily overpower him, flip him onto his back and hold him down, take back the control…tried to ignore the fact that the idea appealed to him on so many levels.

Will felt the need to _assert_ himself, and Hannibal was not against it, Hannibal was not even attempting to take over, he'd turned his head, he was baring his neck to Will, encouraging Will's boldness…but, Hannibal had initiated the grinding, his hand was what had encouraged Will to grind against him, his actions were wordlessly moving things along. It was like an unconscious reaction in both of them; it was what seemed to come most naturally. But Will was quite certain that that was largely just because Hannibal had more experience with men than Will ever would, and if Will wanted something, if he wanted to be the one leading, he had to have the confidence, the desire and physical conviction to go after it.

Sucking a faint bruise into the lightly stubbled skin above Hannibal's adam's apple, Will balanced himself on his left forearm and he used his right hand to reach up and take a hold of the wrist of the Doctor's hand grasping at his neck, gripping it firmly and bringing it away and down, pressing Hannibal's arm and hand into the pillow beside his head, _taking_ control. But even though Hannibal allowed it without resistance, accepting and acquiescing as ever, Will was _very_ aware of the fact that Hannibal had never done such a thing to him. He'd never attempted to restrict Will's movements in any way, so it didn't feel right for him to do it either, and he didn't attempt to hold Hannibal's arm there, instead he let go and rebalanced himself as he bravely moved his kisses lower.

And when Hannibal didn't immediately move to touch him again and the hand Hannibal had been encouragingly pressing into Will's lower back eased up as well, a flush of affection rooted in appreciation of being respected spurred Will's arousal on. The older man just knew without being told, just what Will wanted and what he was thinking. Hannibal understood; he always understood.

Certain now that Hannibal wouldn't interfere or insinuate with his experienced hands again, and with the older man's deep, affected breathing as an erotic background noise, Will immersed himself in what he was attempting to do. He tracked his kisses downward, lips not too wet but not dry either, and once he moved low enough he pushed himself up so he was balancing on his knees and hands. He then moved Hannibal's half opened pajama top aside to bare more of the older man's furred chest as he settled to balance between Hannibal's parted legs, unbuttoning the shirt the rest of the way as his lips and tongue brushed and rasped softly through Hannibal's chest hair and over firm muscle and skin.

Will's heart was pounding, blood pumping hot and fast, thumping loudly in his ears, his senses rushing, his breathing and fingers unsteadily trembling.

He kissed Hannibal's left nipple, tongued it very lightly as he'd done once before and he was aware of the briefest stutter in the older man's breathing. And so he did it again, a little firmer, feeling the texture of the tightening flesh, the hardness of the nub, all of it together with the rasp of hair against his lips; and he really liked Hannibal's chest hair, he really did, which was the reason he enjoyed the feel of it against his lips. And Will was curious to go further this time, because unlike the previous time where Hannibal had come in his hand just after he'd licked lightly, further exploration having been cut short of continuing at the time, Will had free reign now and so he moved to Hannibal's other nipple and that time he sucked it gently, with a swirl of his tongue and enough pressure to stimulate.

It _felt_ so different under his lips than what he'd been used to, while not really being _so_ different at all when cataloging just the physical. Yet the difference that did register, the sensation reaction differences, were stark enough that it caught Will unawares and tripped him up, specifically because Hannibal _barely_ reacted to the light nipple stimulation beyond a quiet, pleased hum…which was not the same as how Molly used to react to it. She would have arched into it, chest heaving, sighing breathily, her hands would have slipped into his hair to pull him closer so he would suck harder and wider, so that the plump fullness her breast would also press against his parted lips.

Thoughts of Molly breaching his headspace caused Will to grimace and clench his eyes shut, as they were unwanted, no longer welcome there; but the damage was done because his imagination was so vivid. He recalled quite clearly her softness, her lack of body hair, the floral scent of her skin, the wideness of her hips, a space for him that was always waiting and wet between her legs, so familiar he'd slip into her without even having to think about it; all those differences to how Hannibal felt and tasted were highlighted by the invading thoughts of the last woman he'd been with and made Will feel queasy and unsettled.

' _No, no, no…'_ he thought harshly, stomach turning at the inappropriateness of his thoughts, how wrong it felt to think of her now that he was with Hannibal, how wrong it was to think of _anyone_ else. Hannibal would never; Hannibal wouldn't betray him even in his own mind, not even if Will wouldn't know it.

And Hannibal would be angry if he knew, too easily forgiving on the surface while inside he'd be furious and hurt that Will still had thoughts of his ex-wife while they were together. But that wasn't even it, it wasn't about Molly specifically…

He was frowning, breathing harshly through his teeth as he rested his forehead against Hannibal's sternum and kept his eyes clenched tightly shut. He swallowed thickly as he inhaled the masculine scent of Hannibal's skin so close to his lips, soft against the tip of his nose, becoming aware of his once again white knuckled grip in the bed covers, of the tension in his body, in the lessened turgidity of his erection.

And then all at once his mind was leaping as it tended to do; his awareness of his sexually intimate proximity to Hannibal's body causing his imagination to provide him with graphic images of Alana and _Bedelia_ in the same position he'd remembered himself in with Molly, his mind buzzing and ticking with further unwanted images of how they'd probably reacted to having Hannibal's mouth on their breasts. Then there were Hannibal's previous male lovers that Will would never know of, how had they reacted to that stimulation?

God, how had he reacted to it? He was hardly able to recall the moments in which Hannibal gave attention to his nipples but he felt quite self-conscious and embarrassed all of a sudden anyway.

At least though, his jumbled thoughts confirmed for him that it wasn't about Molly. He _knew_ that because it wasn't just her that plagued him now, but rather everyone that they'd been with before he and Hannibal had finally come together. It was Hannibal's experience and Will's lack thereof in the department of same sex relations that made things so complicated for him. But slowly his frown eased and he unclenched his jaw too, the embarrassment ebbing as it all sunk in and became clearer, no longer making him uncomfortable. He knew the problem was that his mind was just not yet clear enough about what to do with Hannibal's body, not clear enough and not reassured enough that he even _could_ do anything. He didn't even know how much he could handle.

He had no design yet.

There would be no simplicity in it for him when it came to penetrating Hannibal, he knew the process intimately now from having been penetrated; he knew what it took, the time and attention required, the _actions_ required, and he wasn't in that frame of mind yet, he knew he wasn't quite _there_. He couldn't yet see himself managing the process without it being too stressful to be enjoyable, not when he couldn't even do the most basic things to himself, not when he didn't even know how to actively go through standard foreplay with the Doctor. Because what did Hannibal even like? How and where did he enjoy being touched? Will didn't know; how could he know when he'd never tried to _learn_. And it probably didn't have much to do with his damn nipples since his reaction hadn't been particularly sensitive…dammit.

He'd never even thought much about it before, instead he'd just let Hannibal _want_ and _have_ him and that had been enough, that had been plenty. Now it wasn't for him anymore.

 _'_ _Selfish, I'm so selfish.'_ he thought, angry with himself now as his breathing settled and his skin cooled down, arousal draining away and a sort of sadness filling him for how much of a poor lover he'd been to Hannibal. Not that Hannibal had ever expected much of him to begin with, but wasn't that even worse?

He didn't know how to touch Hannibal or where, besides the obvious that was, and even then, Will could only do so with his hand, barely even able to watch that first time he'd given Hannibal a hand job, and then he'd even felt uncomfortable afterwards when his hand had been soiled with come, like a fucking immature idiot, but he'd at least been aware enough of his idiocy to push himself past it so he could do it again for Hannibal's birthday. Still, it didn't change the stupidity of his own hang ups, how useless and pointless and ridiculous they were.

Then there was oral sex, another thing he doubted he could do for Hannibal anytime soon, which again, was selfish, because Hannibal was his partner now, and Hannibal wanted to give him everything sexually, Hannibal wanted to put his mouth _everywhere_ , a detail that made Will blush even right then. He shifted to lie down on his stomach, stretched out between Hannibal's legs with his warm cheek on the older man's abdomen as he thought of the fact that he couldn't even bring himself to try putting his mouth close to Hannibal's bare crotch.

He'd do it for a woman, had done it, wouldn't even think twice about it, but he was still too **stuck** in his previous hetero state of mind to think of doing it for Hannibal without becoming uncomfortable. So **how** could he possibly consider penetrative sex when he wouldn't be able to lovingly and patiently make Hannibal's body ready for him as Hannibal _always_ did for him. It wouldn't be right or fair to Hannibal, it wouldn't be _equal_.

He sighed quietly, eyes closed and mentally exhausted from his own troubling thought processes, disappointed in himself for the list of things he found he still couldn't do, the places on Hannibal he still couldn't imagine touching in certain ways. Not yet. He just wasn't ready.

 _'_ _I'm not ready, but I will be…'_ he clenched his jaw again as 'one day' flitted through his mind, he didn't want to accept **one day** , he didn't want to **wait**. But he knew if he forced himself it wouldn't go well for either of them.

Hannibal was so patient, though, Hannibal, he…

Hannibal.

Will opened his eyes, feeling tense but not unhappy, feeling confused but not lost or alone, not rushed or under pressure, because Hannibal was right there and he would wait for as long as Will needed, he would not leave, he would not pull away or insist or get mad. He had no expectations, just hope and anticipation of what could be. And Will had every intention of sharing _everything_ with Hannibal eventually, and soon.

He didn't need to look up to know that Hannibal was lying with his eyes closed, calm and centered. Will could feel his steady breathing as he lied on the older man's bare abdomen, he could feel that Hannibal's erection had waned as well, and he could feel Hannibal's hand lightly settled between his shoulder blades, fingers shifting in idle caresses over his skin.

Accepting. Always accepting.

The room was quiet again, lit by the bedside lamps, and the sound of Hannibal's even breathing was comforting. Will almost didn't want to shatter the quiet but he parted his lips, which felt warm and sticky from kissing, to ask softly,

"If I wanted to…would you let me?" staring at the bedroom door across the room, feeling a bit anxious over whether he'd hear a lie in Hannibal's answer.

"I would not let you, Will." Hannibal said evenly and Will started to frown but then Hannibal added, "I would want you to." with absolute sincerity and tenderness in his voice and Will's frown eased away, eyebrows drawing upward as he was flooded with affectionate feelings at the honesty in Hannibal's answer.

He turned his face then and pressed a soft and slow dry kiss to Hannibal's skin, nose tickled by the hair trailing down the center of the older man's stomach, before he laid his head down again, not particularly interested in moving, seeing as he was quite comfortable right then.

"Thank you." he said quietly.

"You do not need to say thank you for anything, Will." Hannibal responded softly.

Will sniffed quietly and sighed at himself,

"Sorry."

"Nor do you need to apologize for anything." he sounded like he was smiling softly now and Will felt the long, slender fingers of the Doctor's other hand slide through his mostly dried curls, caressing and grasping in turns as he continually lightly traced lines over the skin between Will's shoulder blades.

Will suddenly felt like there was a lump in his throat and he thought, _'I love you'_ , the words achingly true, but he didn't say it, because they didn't ever say it. They didn't really need to.

They laid together in silence for a long time, and just when Will felt drowsy and was close to falling asleep Hannibal asked,

"Would you like to visit _The Vasamuseet_ tomorrow?"

The pleasant suggestion of visiting the famous maritime museum brought a sleepy smile to his face, and he hummed in positive response.

Nothing further was said then and Will kept his eyes closed, eventually drifting off to sleep with the grounding, soothing feeling of Hannibal's hand in his hair and the shallow rise and fall of the older man's stomach beneath his head.

* * *

In the two days before the wedding, Hannibal **spoiled** him.

There was no other word for it; it was just a two day parade of Will allowing Hannibal to get away with his inclination to splurge on him that Will had never before permitted.

Will had made the usual protests on the first day, where after visiting the maritime museum and then having an early lunch at the _Vasa_ _Museum_ restaurant, Hannibal had decided he wanted to go shopping –no small thing to be sure when it came to The Doctor-, and as they'd traversed one of Stockholm's busy shopping districts, Will had quickly realized that Hannibal's intention behind going shopping was actually an excuse to buy 'holiday gifts' for him. He'd said the things that usually worked to stop the older man, like 'no, I don't need it' or 'that's unnecessary', he really had, but Hannibal had responded with things like 'just this one time' and 'indulge me in this instance, if you would', and Will had not so much said 'yes' than he'd just stopped saying 'no'. By the second day of sightseeing and shopping, and of Hannibal smoothly purchasing some other things that were not standardly sold in Skellefteå in order to make it seem less like it was just a spending spree on Will, he'd given up complaining or attempting to get Hannibal to stop…because for the first time allowing it, Will realized just how much Hannibal seemed to _enjoy_ it.

So, he had conceded in the end, deciding to let it be a once off _holiday_ thing, and they'd driven around on that second morning and afternoon, visiting all the places Hannibal could think of and some that Will had Googled himself, shopping in between. And they ate light meals and had brunch and snacks along the way, and then in the later afternoon they'd return back to the apartment to change their clothes and fetch Francesca to take her out with them for a long evening walk and then to the nearest park where she could romp around.

Will actually let her off her leash for a while on the second evening to play catch and chase him around in the park, and even though Hannibal didn't play the game of chase with them, he did throw her ball for her many times and he gave her plenty of encouraging pets and a few whistles as well to get her attention when she strayed too far, his patience and parental interest in their trusting and innocent pet making Will feel happy and high with feelings of love and contentment and belonging.

That same evening Hannibal held Francesca's leash as they walked back through the pleasantly busy streets to their temporary apartment, one hand securely holding the handle of her retracted leash while the other was holding Will's hand, their fingers interlocked, their grip just as light and just as secure. It had struck Will silent for a long while as they walked, taking note of the domesticated behavior Hannibal comfortably exhibited out in the open, with all three of them together, a proper family. And he also noticed how people looked at them as they walked; some looked away quickly, others stared or smiled, but most didn't even pay them any attention.

In the end, the public couple walk had felt comfortable and safe; it had felt _right_.

* * *

That feeling of rightness stayed with Will all evening, until after they'd all eaten dinner and Francesca was settled and the apartment was half lit and quiet but not silent. It stayed with him and kept him feeling anticipatory, kept him thinking about all the things he wanted, kept him feeling low-key aroused with a sensation of bliss and comfort buzzing underneath his skin very intensely all throughout dinner, until eventually, despite his inexperience and his nervousness about getting ahead of himself, he again gave into the urge to act on his desire.

Presently, Hannibal had just stood up, preparing to clear the dining table of their empty dessert dishes and wine glasses, and Will stood up as well, succumbing to the urge to take the Doctor's face in his hands and pull him into a kiss. This was only the second time now that he'd so boldly initiated kissing between them, and he could sense that Hannibal was surprised by the older man's subtle but abrupt intake of breath between their sealed lips and the uncertain way in which he placed his hands on Will's flanks, fingers lightly curling into the material of his celadon coloured shirt. And Will knew Hannibal was on edge and being tentative because they hadn't done more than chaste kissing since the evening they'd first arrived and Will had made an aborted attempt at sex.

Hannibal, always being so careful and so patient, willing to wait, willing to settle and accept whatever Will was doing, or not doing, hadn't made anything even resembling a move toward sex since, as expected. So now Will was doing something about it and while Hannibal was surprised, he was always keen too, the older man pulling him closer and tilting his head into the kiss in that smooth, confident way of his. And when their mouths parted and the kiss went from light to deep and then to fervent, Will felt his arousal unfurl within him like blood on cloth, soaking and saturating his skin and muscles and private places, creating warmth and weight low in his pelvis and between his legs; a familiar ache to him now, powerful and titillating. He frowned lightly when Hannibal made a raw noise into his mouth, the sound hitching from the older man's throat, it was like a moan of craving, and it made something in Will squirm restlessly, made him want to be the one to actively satisfy Hannibal's need. He broke off from the kiss then, panting shakily against Hannibal's damp parted lips, the idea of how he wanted things to play out clearly formed in his mind, but already he was starting to overthink how to go about saying out loud what he wanted.

He opened his eyes slowly to find Hannibal looking at him through half-lidded eyes, his gaze dark with passion and love, almost dangerous in its possessiveness, so much power restrained so masterfully that the tip of his nose rubbing just so against Will's own right then was ridiculously gentle and tender, just as much as the sound of his name was when Hannibal whispered it against his lips. It left no room –or need- for words, and with the next kiss between them, lips parting wide and tongues licking sensually and ardently, Will felt another pang of arousal move through him, emanating from a very specific place just behind his balls, a very definitive pulse and tightening there. It made him inhale sharply and shiver bodily, pressing himself flush against Hannibal as his hips jerked forward, his fingertips digging into the skin, muscle and bone of Hannibal's neck and jaw. He was too far gone to even feel embarrassed about standing on the balls of his feet to get closer, to kiss the older man as avidly as he was being kissed. He only focused on feeling Hannibal's mouth and body and his large hands, one holding Will's waist and the other splayed low on his back to press them close.

The only space between them now was what could not be physically filled by contact and even then, for some reason Will wasn't satisfied. There was something about the last few months, weeks, days…the last few hours and even the seconds, that had made him feel like something had shifted so much and yet it hadn't clicked into place yet. Something was missing, something fundamental was missing inside all of the love and adoration, the need and want and trust and commitment and darkness they shared. Something that Will could feel in the wetness of his mouth, waiting on the tip of his tongue, but that he'd been holding back for _ages_ , for so long. He was tired of swallowing it back, tired of hoarding it like he didn't want it acknowledged, something he'd never said plainly and earnestly and for no good reason.

Now he wanted to, he felt the need to say it with the same intensity that he'd needed to kiss Hannibal just now, with the same intensity that they were still kissing, as if separating their mouths for too long was akin to not breathing properly, even with only gasps and half breaths passing between them. Hannibal said his name again, between one languidly deep kiss and the next and once again, as often, as always, there was reverence in his tone that spoke of bleeding, killing and dying for Will, yearning for him, being caged for him, trying for him, sacrificing for him, and Will couldn't help smiling into the kiss as his chest became sore with his stacking emotions.

He spoke into Hannibal's mouth then,

"If I say I love you…" his voice low and shaken, his next breath turning into a short sigh when Hannibal's teeth and lips scraped over his fine beard at the corner of his mouth. And Hannibal didn't even hesitate to reply, far braver than Will when he said,

"I love you, Will." the words warm and thick with feeling, like the blood of a victim on his tongue, "I love you," he said again and kissed Will's open mouth. Will's eyes slid open and shut dazedly, he felt winded even before Hannibal said it again, "I love you," and again, "I love you…" and again and then again, making it into a mantra between breaths and kisses and Hannibal's voice was so gravely and viscid it sounded like it hurt to speak.

"Fuck…" Will knew the word came out sounding like he was in pain, but he couldn't help it, sometimes it hurt to feel so much for another person, sometimes, like right then, it was hard to breathe through it. Hannibal reacted negatively to the sharp tone though, and he immediately left off, his face pressing to Will's shoulder, his mantra of _I love you_ cut off and replaced with a rumbled apology, as if he'd said or done absolutely _anything_ wrong.

"N-no, don't say sorry…" Will said in a rushed breath and then with his hands, which were still set on the sides of Hannibal's neck and face, he slid them up to tangle in Hannibal's soft, silky strands of hair and he clenched it between his fingers with a rush of possessiveness to rival what he often saw reflected in Hannibal's gaze, pressing his lips to Hannibal's ear where he breathed, "…I love you, too." with relief colouring his tone, because he truly felt relieved to say it out aloud. Hannibal's arms encircled him then, in what was a rather crushing hug and they both exhaled heavily, Hannibal into the crook of Will's neck and shoulder, also sounding relieved, just as much, if not more, than Will felt.

When they drew back from the hug after a long moment, Will was unsurprised to see the strain lines of emotion in Hannibal's face, imagining he looked about the same, but they were both smiling, slight and intimate, still holding onto one another, Hannibal's hands on his waist, Will's hands on Hannibal's upper arms.

They both laughed softly after a moment and Hannibal licked and pursed his lips before he turned his attention to the dining room table,

"I should clean up," he suggested quietly, "and if you'd like you can go ahead to check on Francesca before retiring to bed." and he was totally serious, sincere, willing to ignore the fact that they were both still aroused, that their emotions were running high after what they'd just admitted out loud and that there was something to celebrate, something to consummate. Hannibal was always ready to give Will his space and time should he need it.

Will smiled wider when Hannibal tried to slip his arms from around his waist and he caught Hannibal by his forearms, pulling him close again, waiting until Hannibal was one hundred percent focused on him before he shook his head,

"I wouldn't like that." he said honestly, deciding that he would not hold back from speaking his mind that night, not after they'd just told each other they loved one another point blank, "Francesca is fine, she's eaten and she's safe inside." he said quietly, letting his voice drop, letting his intentions bleed into his tone and through his half lidded gaze, hoping it came out something close to sensual when he said, "What I'd like right now, is for you to come to bed with me." and it ended a little breathless because saying that took quite a lot out of him.

But the sight of Hannibal's pupils dilating and the obvious hitch in his breathing as Will's words sunk in felt like a reward for his honest words, to see Hannibal so affected by them, and to know it left no blurry maybes or any confusion in the older man's mind about what Will wanted. They needed more of that honesty in the sex department, more understanding and proper communication. Will wanted that, he'd work toward it. And since Hannibal seemed stuck in place, Will stepped back from their embrace, catching the older man's hand as he did so and then he tugged Hannibal gently to walk with him, just behind him as Will navigated through the apartment to the bedroom.

The only light on in the bedroom was one of the bedside lamps, casting the room in a soft yellowish glow, and the lowlighting made Will feel just that little bit more confident, confident enough to turn around once they were inside the bedroom and take Hannibal by the shoulders of his shirt, his tight grasp crinkling the expensive fabric, pulling the older man forward into a heatedly insistent kiss, and he had to back step twice to follow the sudden momentum of Hannibal moving into him in reaction. They were pressed flush together after Hannibal leaned into him, Will doing the same; as much as he could at least, considering that he was curved into a slight arch from their height difference as the older man kissed him almost desperately.

They were walking step in step, moving toward the bedside, Hannibal's hands smoothly becoming busy with undoing Will's shirt buttons, a sureness in his nimble unfastening that made Will both exceedingly warm and, as usual, a little nervous. Although the latter feeling was much less than ever before, and Will forced himself not to acknowledge it. It had no place between them.

They'd turned around in their stepping and it was the back of Hannibal's legs that touched the side of the bed first. He sat down without pause, the kiss ending with a clinging wet noise as he pulled Will to stand between his legs, and quickly parting the last of the Will's buttons Hannibal pushed the shirt open and proceeded to breathe and kiss, hot and moist and slow, from Will's left hip inward and then up to lick shallowly into his navel.

Will licked and pursed his lips, his hands sliding up into Hannibal's hair as his eyes drifted closed and he tipped his head back – Hannibal mouthing up along the middle of his abdomen- and then he opened them again as he dropped his head forward to look down. He watched as Hannibal gripped his hips, pulled him forward, kissed his chest, fingers firmly pressing into his skin, holding him in place as Hannibal – eyes closed and breathing heavily- slowly lapped the flat of his tongue over Will's right nipple.

Will watched this and he felt it, and it felt nice, and he exhaled a little louder and his mouth hung open just a bit for seeing Hannibal's mouth parted and wet, the cannibal's tongue sliding against his skin, but now that he took note of it he realized that it wasn't exactly a major erogenous zone for him either. He almost laughed at his own overreaction to Hannibal's lack of reaction the other night, but then Hannibal's fingers skimmed down over his taut abdomen muscles to hook into his belt, the older man pressing a kiss to the center of his chest before he asked,

"What do you want, Will?" in a tone of gravel and heat.

And okay, so he _really_ appreciated the care and concern and consideration, but it kind of distracted Will from the sensation of Hannibal's subtle kisses and lightly massaging fingers and the asking of it would get old fast. He knew it was his fault though, that Hannibal pussy-footed around him, so he had to set it right. Hannibal was waiting for an answer right then though, so he couldn't think too hard about how to go about it, and instead he just stayed in the vein of confidence and honesty he'd begun in the dining room.

He slid his hands down to the sides of Hannibal's face, bracing and lifting, thumbs set beneath Hannibal's chin, lightly pressing into the soft flesh there as he tilted the older man's head back so Hannibal could look up at him, and he was momentarily stunned by the bright glaze of Hannibal's dark eyes, by the redness of his partly open mouth, by the offering of _everythinganything_ he saw gazing up at him.

It only served to give him more confidence and he leaned over Hannibal, sucking a generous, indulgent kiss against his top lip, feeling Hannibal's shaken, restrained exhale followed by the tight equally strained clenching of fingers as Hannibal grasped his hips again…holding back, waiting, always patient.

"I'll tell you, Hannibal…" he spoke against Hannibal's lip, his philtrum, eyes closing as trails of arousal shot through him when Hannibal's tongue traced lightly along his bottom lip, their breaths both uneven, "…when I want _that_ I'll tell you, when I'm ready, you'll know." he practically whispered and he felt the tension in Hannibal's throat against his wrists when the older man swallowed slowly and audibly, his lips puckering briefly, seeking more contact, not moving from where Will held his face.

Little exchanges of power and control. So subtle. So intoxicating.

Will let his face go, moving his hands down over skin and muscle, maintaining caressing contact, until he caught on the first of the buttons on Hannibal's shirt with his finger and thumb, popped it open. And it wasn't that he felt sexy or seductive per se, it was more just knowing that he could be completely clueless in all of this and Hannibal would still find him attractive, Hannibal **did** still find him attractive.

So he didn't let the tremors in his fingers stop him from unfastening Hannibal's next button, or the next, nor did he let anything stop him from sliding his mouth just a little bit lower so Hannibal could have the kiss he was seeking. They worked through their clothes that way, kissing and kissing, even as Hannibal stood up again so Will could unbutton his shirt all the way and Hannibal could fully unfasten his belt and pants, even as both of them slipped their shirts off their shoulders and tossed them aside carelessly.

Their mouths only parted cursorily for air as Hannibal very quickly intercepted Will's unsteady hands to remove his own belt and pants, the older man opening the buckle, button and zipper adeptly. He hadn't pushed the clothes off Will's hips though, but he did his own; pants, underwear, shoes kicked off and socks following; _choosing_ to be naked first? Whether it was intentional or not, Will wasn't sure, but it didn't matter, because it made Will feel less self-conscious, gaining more and more confidence, in increments, but that mattered and were hopefully _not_ temporary.

Will wanted to hang onto the feeling of boldness where Hannibal was concerned. It made him feel steady enough to look over Hannibal's state of aroused nudity without needing to avert his gaze even as he blushed hotly, it made him watch every movement the older man made as he pulled himself backwards on the bed, bringing his legs up, reaching for Will, a gesture for him to follow without physically pulling Will forward. Leaving the choice to him.

Hannibal was giving him more room to make decisions, whereas before Will had preferred to be lead in this. And he knew if he wanted to he could tell Hannibal to do it as usual, to lead and direct, but as always, Hannibal knew him too well, and in knowing him, was aware that Will needed a little wiggle room now, he knew that he was curious about his own part in all this, curious about testing waters, about making new attempts.

Hannibal was facilitating him, as he always had, whispering into the chrysalis as it were…something's never changed. It made Will smile.

So, smiling, he pushed his pants and underwear off, over his half-hard cock and down his legs to pool around his ankles before he stepped out of them, setting one knee and then the other on the bed and knee-walking a little ways up between Hannibal's legs. And Hannibal seemed to be as much in control as he was out of it, because as Will came to kneel close and looming over him, he surged up to sitting upright and Hannibal grabbed the backs of his thighs, just below his buttocks, making Will inhale a shocked gasp, which turned into a rough exhaled moan when the older man expertly maneuvered his mouth over the head of his cock and sucked the length down like he was _eager_ for it.

He probably was.

"Aah, God..." Will breathed out, pursing his lips against any more too loud moans while following his instinct to grasp at Hannibal, one hand on his broad shoulder, the other in his soft, straight hair; holding the back of his head, a firm splay of fingers there, wordless encouragement for more.

Will didn't want to be shy about it, he liked Hannibal's mouth on his cock and Hannibal did too, no point in pretending otherwise. And it wasn't long before Will was lightly rocking his hips backwards and forwards as Hannibal _swallowed_ him down, not even stopping when Hannibal's gag reflex disagreed with the depth of his cock in the back of the older man's throat, which was an _amazing_ feeling.

He watched too, because while watching himself give Hannibal a handjob was still strange –albeit arousing in its own way-, watching Hannibal _devour_ him into that dangerous, ravenous mouth was explicitly sexually inciting. And it made Will's mind race when between the firing of pleasure through his synapses, he found himself thinking of how Hannibal wanted to use to his mouth in another place.

Thinking of it, trying to _picture_ it, pulled at something, somewhere inside of him and he lurched forward with a jolt of curious arousal against Hannibal's admirable balance, hands grasping the Doctor's shoulders as the man held up his partial weight with firm hands low on his hips; he didn't stop sucking and Will's mouth fell open in a soundless gasp. He felt the strain in Hannibal's shoulders from the weight of him, and then too, in the strength in the Doctor's arms and hands when he helped Will to steady his balance using the grip he had on his hips, Hannibal continuing to bob his head relentlessly the entire time.

Through the haze of pleasure and heat and the weak, shaken feeling in his legs, Will could feel his orgasm rushing up on him and he frowned and hummed deeply when the older man deep throated him, his abdominal muscles and buttocks clenching up as his balls drew tight, and then he heard Hannibal's breath catch before he let Will's erection slip from his mouth to take a proper deep breath, and with his hands unconsciously kneading and grasping at the muscles of Hannibal's broad shoulders, Will felt it when the older man's right shoulder begun shifting in a subtle rhythm of light masturbation.

Given reprieve from the amazing suction of Hannibal's mouth, Will was able to find the coherency to stop Hannibal from taking his erection into his mouth again, which also successfully halted Hannibal's masturbation, and moving his hips back and sliding his palms –damp from the sheen of sweat on Hannibal's shoulders- to grasp the Doctor's face again, he tilted Hannibal's head back as he initiated a breathy, off the mark kiss, both of them panting, lips parted and eyes half open and dazed from pleasure and sensation. He knew subconsciously that Hannibal wouldn't have stopped until he came, not unless Will intervened, because Hannibal never seemed to think anal sex was an option unless Will explicitly stated or showed that he wanted it.

Will was wavering between kneeling back and leaning forward over Hannibal, his legs not feeling too stable, their lips sticking between shallow kisses and noses bumping together as their hair mixed and clung between their sweating foreheads. But then Hannibal decided for them, just leaning back in one fluent movement and because Will had been using him for balance support, he fell forward. Hannibal was calculated though, and the older man's hands slid to splay firmly against his sides just when his own hands moved from Hannibal's shoulder to catch his fall against the mattress, both of them supporting his weight so he could lower himself slowly instead of landing gracelessly on top of Hannibal, their sloppy kiss having come to an abrupt, panting end.

And they weren't aligned like that, with Will being a head higher on the bed than Hannibal from their previous positions, but the Doctor just used it as an opportunity to crane his head up and suck kisses into the base of Will's throat, liberal with his tongue and teeth as his hands slid into the small of Will's back and then up and up and down again, smooth, gliding caresses occurring while Will tried to play catch up. He lowered himself to his forearms then, eyes fluttering closed as Hannibal sucked bruises onto his neck and he dipped his head to pant against the Doctor's hair as he pressed his saliva sticky cock against Hannibal's abdomen, feeling Hannibal's own erection just below and to the side of his own and the older man's muscled thighs bracketing his own.

It was all so much, every sensation pleasurable, some new and some not, yet they still felt like they were, and his cock was so hard, body aching for more stimulation, lips swollen and red but he still felt the desire for more kissing too. He wanted more, and he knew what he wanted, and he knew that he had to let Hannibal know or else they'd never get there. He considered then, just rolling off of the Doctor and pulling him on top, between his legs, as that had always seemed to make what he wanted quite clear in the few times before, but then, Will wasn't doing the usual dance at the moment; he was experimenting with taking the initiative, with directing their activities.

Hannibal was _licking_ a hot stripe over his collar bone just when Will pushed himself up, getting his hands under him again so he could look down at Hannibal when he asked,

"Did you unpack condoms and lubricant?" in a breathy and raspy tone, nudging his hips forward just when Hannibal did, pressing their erections against one another's bodies as Will's words affected them both. Hannibal's hands settled low on his hips then, the older man wetting his lips and inhaling deeply as he tilted his head back to glance at the large free standing wardrobe near the balcony doors before looking back up at Will,  
"I did," he cleared his throat, "however I didn't do so with convenience of access in mind." he admitted, looking a bit frustrated with himself. Will arched an eyebrow down at him and smiled slightly,

"Why not?" he asked, sounding surprisingly teasing and sure of himself even as his stomach quivered with anticipation and nervousness, and he found it ridiculously sweet that Hannibal averted his gaze, his expression taking on something akin to self-consciousness when he spoke next,

"I didn't want to presume."

And he'd known that would be the answer, but still, hearing it really made it sink in, really made the awareness of the fact that Hannibal's hesitation and uncertainty around him would become an obstacle if he didn't fix it. Smile easing away, Will adjusted himself, sliding his knees back a bit further toward the edge of the bed and moving a hand down on the mattress to brace his weight beside the older man's shoulder so he was lined up just right to lean down and press a firm and slow lip to lip kiss to Hannibal's mouth, feeling Hannibal's hands tighten against his sides where they'd slid up to.

Then he inhaled with their lips still pressed together, mentally steeling his resolve to make some changes between them, before he drew back, slowly opening his eyes to look down into Hannibal's heated, half-lidded gaze,

"In future, I want you to presume." he almost whispered, voice a little gruff and very quiet and his words entirely serious, and when Hannibal blinked twice in quick succession, exhaled unsteadily, grasped his sides tightly and swallowed audibly, Will knew his words had made the necessary impact, so he added, "I'll go get the stuff." and without waiting for an answer he pushed himself up onto his knees as evenly as he could before moving backwards off the bed, right foot first.

His legs were still a bit shaky but he was alright to walk –naked - as confidently as he could around the bed and toward the wardrobe to fetch what they needed. He smiled to himself, even as his stomach flipped over with nerves and his hands shook lightly when he opened the wardrobe and then the drawers inside, searching for the supplies. He was nervous, yes, nervous of his own progression, nervous of putting himself out there, and yet he wasn't doing anything impulsive or that he hadn't done before and he wanted to gain more ground, he wanted to stop being selfish and making Hannibal split hairs over every little moment of physical intimacy they shared.

He found their collective 'stash' of supplies in the third of four drawers and Will blushed hotly at seeing the _five_ boxes of still unopened condoms stacked beneath the open top one and the two bottles of sealed lubricant beside an open one. It seemed that with both of them buying supplies, they certainly were beginning to pile up, and Hannibal seemed to have taken to buying exactly what Will had bought the first time, once again, probably not wanting to do anything he might not be comfortable with. Will almost sighed, but then he stopped himself from doing so, because it was up to him to change that preconception.

He heard the bed creak lightly just as he was pulling a condom out of the open box, and he quickly grabbed the lube with the same hand before pushing the drawer closed, turning around just in time to see Hannibal now sitting down, swinging his legs over the end of the bed on the side Will stood, so that he was sitting facing Will. Another shiver of nervousness ran through Will as he was made acutely aware of their absolute nakedness, Hannibal sitting up posture perfect with his wrists set against his thighs and his cock hard, thick and flushed with blood, and Will much the same, except standing up and feeling awkward about it when he knew he shouldn't be.

But seeing the way Hannibal's lustful and desiring gaze tracked over him from head to toe put enough reassurance into him that Will stepped forward as surely as could, walking toward Hannibal. He watched as Hannibal parted his legs so there was space for Will to stand, and as he came to stand there, Hannibal leaned in and his hands immediately came up so that he could reverently touch and trace the lines of Will's body, the muscle and contours with his hands and mouth.

And Will was still shaking and his nervousness increased as he played through the possible scenarios he wanted to happen that night, what he _wanted_ to try and _wanted_ to experience. What he wanted was important, Hannibal had told him time and time again, and he'd noticed that saying what he wanted, and using those words specifically – I want- had been very effective for both of them, and so he was going to use that, he was going to follow through on the ideas in his head for tonight. Verbalizing, directing, trying something new, pushing himself past his hang ups.

He began by saying,

"Let's get on the bed." to ease Hannibal back from sucking and kissing all over his torso, it was quite distracting after all and the older man was getting ever closer to his cock again. Will couldn't have that ruining his design for the evening. Hannibal listened though, without hesitation, he shifted backwards and Will followed, climbing onto the bed on his knees again as he said, "Lay back."

And his voice shook when he said it, and his hands and arms were like jelly as he dropped forward to crawl over Hannibal as the man laid flat on his back, chest rising and falling faster as he watched Will intently, and Will's legs were weak and shaken as he moved up and _straddled_ Hannibal's upper thighs.

 _'_ _I can do this, I can…'_ he told himself as he stared down at Hannibal and Hannibal sated up at him, the older man appearing far from composed and hard pressed to keep himself restrained. He looked both dangerous and strangely lost in the moment and it made Will's cock twitch and his chest tighten to see him so untethered.

 _'_ _I've barely done anything.'_ he thought, amused and blushing as he sat back on Hannibal's upper thighs so that his knees were bent either side of Hannibal's waist and their cocks were very close together, both so hard it was a bit obscene. Will glanced down to take in the sight, seeing the little glob of precum just newly weeping from the older man's cock, and even as his skin prickled with an even hotter blush, he maintained his confidence and leaned forward and down, bracing himself above Hannibal before kissing the older man with a shaken exhale as his eyes fell closed and their bodies touched in several more sensitive places, Hannibal's chest and abdomen hair rough but never unpleasant against his own skin.

Hannibal's lips parted to him immediately and they kissed deeply, languid licks and sucks that had Will's head spinning with the flashes of unguarded emotions that he usually got off of Hannibal whenever they had sex, mixing with his own racing feelings and thoughts. It was heightened further though, because he felt uniquely exposed on all sides in that position, even though no one was there to see him kneeling astride Hannibal, legs spread and body arch subtly against the man beneath him, he still felt barer than before. Usually Hannibal was above him or over him, covering most of his nudity, but now he was not hidden, obscured or covered and he was very aware of that.

It was completely new, the position, and there were a few more new things he still wanted to try, so he severed the kiss and pushed himself to say what came next, panting against Hannibal's lips –the man still licking into his mouth distractedly- and catching his breath before he let the condom go so it settled on the mattress while he held onto the lube,

"I want…" he started, eyes still closed, their hot breaths mingling, but had to take a moment to think of how to word it, something that would sound appealing, something sexual, not awkward. His thoughts derailed, breath rushing from him for a moment when Hannibal scraped sharp teeth over his chin and slid his hot, large hands up over Will's thighs as he said,

"Tell me." sounding strained and guttural and _urgent_.

Will loved that tone of voice, he'd heard it quite a few times and he'd heard Hannibal say many things that had made him blush in that voice. One of those things the older man had said rung out in his mind right then, as he was looking for the right words and he didn't talk himself out of saying it, closing his eyes and breathing out in a rush,

"I want you inside me." before he ducked his head down beside Hannibal's, smiling shyly but pleased against Hannibal's ear when he felt a full body shiver pass through the Doctor, a grunt escaping his throat in the shape of Will's name as he arched up, his cock –wet at the head- pressing into Will's stomach, hard and hot. Will then balanced on one hand and he moved his other to Hannibal's where it was clenching tightly into his thigh, tapping it until the grasp loosened and he was able to press the lube into the Doctor's hand.

Things became far more intense then, as Hannibal moved with the skill and confidence Will knew was in him and was always restrained. First Hannibal brought his free hand up and firmly grasped his face, his jaw and hair, lifting his head and bringing him into a breathtaking and aggressive kiss that made Will shake anew under the weight of Hannibal's flaring emotions. And with the same momentum, Hannibal had opened the lube and Will wasn't even sure how he did it, but he'd slicked his fingers up and the next thing he knew the older man moved his arm over his hip to press Will closer and just a little higher and then he was massaging Will's anus only briefly before sliding in a single long finger.

Will's breath hitched into the kiss and his eyes fluttered open and closed, but he saw nothing, too caught up in the feeling of Hannibal moving his finger in and out, slow and steady, probably purposely avoiding his prostate because of how Will usually sensitively reacted to it. He wanted it now though, he was more used to it, and he _liked_ it. It felt impossibly good to be stimulated that way, addictive even.

But Hannibal was constantly kissing him, and even if his mouth was unoccupied, Will wasn't sure he knew how to articulate that,

 _'_ _Maybe I can…'_ he thought briefly, groaning softly when Hannibal removed his finger. The kiss was still going, their mouths sliding, noses pressing, heads turning and tilting and when Hannibal's touch returned, fingers slicker than before and two rubbing at his anus, Will felt his body react oh so positively, cock throbbing and his asshole clenching up under the sensation. The swell of arousal made him want it more.

Hannibal slid one finger back in first and then withdrew it to slide the second one in as well, slowly, carefully stretching, and Will did as Hannibal had told him to that first time, bearing down on the fingers breaching him as he quietly croaked Hannibal's name between a strained exhale from himself and another swipe of the older man's tongue into a sealing kiss over his mouth.

The needy tremor in his voice seemed to be what was needed though, Hannibal somehow understanding and once his fingers were all the way in, he curled them just so, in the exact right way, putting pressure on the exact right place and making Will groan and buck his hips, their cocks bumping and sliding together between their bellies, and Hannibal's legs bending up to keep them that way, bracing Will at that angle as he began to finger his ass and stimulate his prostate steadily.

Will curled his fingers into the rumpled duvet cover either side of Hannibal's head and his mouth slackened some, the older man left mouthing and licking at his lips and kissing his jaw as coherent thought faded to the background for Will. The pressure Hannibal applied wasn't over much, but rather just enough to create an aching tug in Will's balls and lower abdomen, just enough to make the tip of his cock wetter with precome and his skin hotter with prickling sweat.

It was what he'd wanted and he was getting it, and images of him trying to attempt it on himself in the shower flashed through his mind and made him go ahead with what he wanted next.

"Hann…ibal, uuh, _wait_ …" he spoke in a sluggish tone against Hannibal's high cheekbone, the older man's mouth occupied with kissing over his cheek and jaw. But instantly, Hannibal listened, his fingers stopped sliding in and out and he withdrew them as he relaxed his head back so they were looking at each other, breathing heavily.

Will had to take a moment to catch his breath, hyperaware of Hannibal's other hand splayed on one cheek of his ass, idly pressing and massaging while his sticky hand wasn't touching Will any further.

When he finally regained enough sense to say what he wanted, Will cleared his throat and averted his gaze from Hannibal's vaguely concerned, curious and dazed gaze.

"Where's the lube?" he asked, not looking at Hannibal, and the older man quickly removed his clean hand from Will's buttock and located the tube off to the side, holding it up for Will to see.

Will sat up then, Hannibal's legs sliding down flat so he was sitting on the older man's thighs again, and with a lightly shaking hand he took the tube, the cap already loose on it and not requiring more than a wiggle to remove before Will, blushing so red he could hear blood rushing in his ears, squeezed a large amount onto his own right hand fingers –because Hannibal always said lube was important, you could never have too much- and only once he'd placed the still open tube off to the side of them did he meet Hannibal's eyes again.

Understandably, Hannibal looked confused, but Will didn't expect him to ask,

"Have you changed your mind?"

Will blinked, so absorbed in looking over Hannibal's debauched, aroused state laid out beneath him that it took a moment for him to realize what the older man was asking before he shook his head, clearing his throat,

"No, but I want…" he had to say what he wanted, show it too, so with his lube slicked fingers he glanced down and reached for Hannibal's hand, the one over his hip, reaching behind to grasp it, to entangle their slippery fingers before he looked at Hannibal again, "…I want you to help me," his voice choked a bit on the last words, his nerves racking up, "show me how to." he finished, swallowing through the tension in his throat as he interlocked their lubed up fingers with a soft squelch.

And he was a bit startled when Hannibal couldn't contain a deep humming moan, although from the tension in the cords of muscle in his neck, the contraction of his chest and abdominal muscles, the blatant bouncing twitch of his engorged cock just there near Will's own, he certainly had tried to contain something, pressing his head back into the mattress and taking in a deep unsteady breath through his nose, jaw clenched tightly.

"Hannibal…" Will said quietly, arching an eyebrow and ignoring the light flips flops happening in his stomach at Hannibal's reaction to his suggestion.

" _[J](www)ūs nežinote, ką man darytumėte._ " he said in a whisper, his tone out-of-focus, Will not understanding the language but able to hear the pitch and catch of it. Hannibal sounded frustrated…or perhaps not frustrated, rather he sounded almost wrecked, pushed close to a limit.

Will liked it, there was something visceral and wild about Hannibal like that.

For a moment he thought that he may need to say Hannibal's name again to get his attention, but then Hannibal's slick fingers tightened around his own and he brought their hands around to Will's front, between them, before unlinking their fingers with an easy slide as the Doctor opened his eyes and he pushed himself up onto his left elbow.

"Lean forward." he raspily instructed, taking back the lead for now, and Will did as told, leaning his free hand on Hannibal's shoulder as he did so, breath hitching softly when Hannibal used the close proximity to snatch a kiss from his lips while the older man directed his hand –their hands together- not back over his hip, but between his legs.

With their hands that way it put pressure and slight friction up against his scrotum and the base of his cock from their wrists and the heels of their hands, but Will didn't even have a moment to focus on that sensation because Hannibal's steady and slippery grasp closed around his, bringing Will's middle and index fingers together while curling his other digits down to his palm. Hannibal was so good with this, as with everything. He was so confident, and with the Doctor's sure fingers and hand guiding and angling his own, his two fingers slid so smoothly into his asshole that Will didn't even have a chance to blanch or worry about how it would feel to touch himself that way, because one minute he wasn't, the next he was.

"From this angle it's easier to finger yourself." Hannibal said, "Crook your fingers inward." and his voice was equal parts dirty sexy and evenly polite, his own words making him exhale a soft groan against Will's slack, panting mouth before he said, "In," his fingers pressing down on Will's second knuckles to push his fingers further inside, "and out," and then he grasped, pulling Will's hand back again, "and in again, like, yes…just, just like that." And Will shivered lightly as he crooked his fingers as Hannibal had said, and Hannibal shivered too, almost stuttering then as Will, running on some kind of mesmerized autopilot to the soundtrack of Hannibal's sultry, gruff voice, did as he said and pressed his fingers back inside himself on his own, deeper than Hannibal had, before drawing them out again.

Will quickly became lost to the intensity of the moment, their faces inches apart, Hannibal seemingly more affected by feeling him touching himself than he was. And well, he probably was, this was probably another one of Hannibal's fantasies, watching Will touch himself like this, _fingering_ himself. The word was so plain, not even a cuss word, and yet it felt so obscene to think of it, especially as he became intimately aware of his own body in a new way.

It was so slick and smooth and hot inside himself, and having not known what to expect, it came as a surprise. He could feel himself stretch, feel it around his fingers and in the walls of his rectum yielding to his inward pressing, two points of sensation, making him quiver with unsteady breaths, making him sweat hotter and his cock feel even heavier between his legs.

He didn't even know if the intensity of the moment was just because he was touching himself, or if it was because Hannibal was showing him how to, his hand still there, applying a little pressure of its own each time Will pressed in. Will was going deeper little by little, he could feel it, all the way up until he felt his fingers slide in as deep as his last knuckles and he made a noise of gasping surprise against Hannibal's mouth, both of them absently breathing each other's heated exhales, too absorbed in what was happening between Will's legs to even kiss each other.

And then Hannibal smiled, as though some sort of incredibly amazing and sweet thing had just happened and he said,

"You never cease to amaze me, Will, you are divine," he sighed out, and as if it were just so simple, he slid a single finger of his own into Will, stretching him around all three, third knuckle deep. Will clenched his eyes shut, another surprised sound choked out of his throat, his hips and body jerking forward slightly as Hannibal calmly sucked a sloppy kiss to his bottom lip, breathing reverently and sounding enraptured, "inconceivable," and he pressed it just right inside then, in that way he knew how to, putting the pressure of their joined fingers against Will's prostate fully, " **perfect.** " he added and Will barely heard it under the loudness of his own resulting moan into Hannibal's hot mouth, his fingers clenching harshly into the older man's shoulder as his insides spasmed around their fingers and his cock throbbed, thighs and breath shaking, his extremities feeling weak and taut.

Hannibal just did it again, all of their fingers pressing and Will felt the flash-bursts of pleasure everywhere in his body, but especially in his loins, and his next word was more of a moan,

"Aaaohkay…" as he dipped forward, pressing his forehead to his hand on Hannibal's shoulder before he slid his fingers out of himself and Hannibal followed, removing his finger as well.

They both breathed heavily then, Hannibal remaining propped up on his arm while Will let his shaking legs relax, sitting back on the older man's thighs. He straightened his back and leaned his head back, taking in a deep breath through his mouth as he brought his lube sticky hand to his straining cock and he stroked himself a bit, letting out the same breath as he took the edge off the buildup that was making his erection ache. He was acutely aware of where his hand had just been, but he'd long ago forced himself past worrying about that. Hannibal's own actions in the past had reassured him of being freer with his touch.

He was regulating his breathing, letting everything that had just happened settle inside his pleasure clouded brain, but he came back to the present moment when Hannibal's knuckles brushed against his and he dropped his head forward again, opening his eyes halfway and glancing down to see Hannibal not stroking, but just holding his own erection with some pressure.

Will could only assume the older man was trying to prolong himself, as he felt like he was also really close to coming too, and with that in mind he met Hannibal's eyes,

"Where's the condom?" he asked, still stroking himself slowly and loosely as he glanced around, feelings of self-consciousness fading as they usually did when he was so close, so taken under, so enveloped in their intimacy. Hannibal took his hand off his cock then and he somewhat hurriedly moved his arm to reach underneath himself, briefly breaking eye contact to watch Will slowly masturbating himself as the older man arched a bit to reach the condom where it'd slid behind his back.

When he had a hold of the condom he quickly brought it to his mouth and used his teeth to rip it open, one hand too slippery to be of any use in that. Hannibal lied back then, only raising his head to watch what he was doing as he held his cock, sticky with pre-come at the tip, with one hand and used his other to slide the lubricated condom down over his length. Will stopped stroking himself then, feeling his own sex strain in his hand at the sight of the condom so tightly encasing Hannibal's thickness and girth.

And he made a mental note to revisit the twinge of arousal he felt at that moment, to help him sort out his feelings of physical attraction to Hannibal's genitalia since he was still working that particular subject out. Following that note though, seeing the condom on Hannibal's sex gave him _another_ idea for the future…

But he couldn't focus on that now, since his eyes were locked onto the sight of Hannibal's hands, elegant, strong and slender, as he adjusted the condom over his length, and having reached for the open, messy tube of lube, he poured a generous amount over the top of the condom, before smearing it over the rest of his encased length until it was glistening wet and, Will realized with a nervous but anticipating full body shiver, waiting, ready for him, whenever he was ready for it.

He trailed his eyes upwards over Hannibal's well-built torso, no ugly bulging muscles or useless bulk, everything just properly fit and lean, hair sparse on his abdomen and then nicely thick, silvery and dark against his chest. He looked further up still, over Hannibal's throat, broad shoulders, his jaw and chin, his lips and nose and then he met Hannibal's eyes and stated,

"I want to stay like this." in a quiet and breathy but firm tone. He'd seen similar positions in pornography, but usually it was more obscene, all spread legs and open positions intended for good camera filming angles. And Will didn't want it to be obscene, but he wanted it. He also wanted to maintain some focus this time, have more liberty to move on his own, to stop and start as and when he pleased. He wanted to be able to see Hannibal, to watch how he reacted, get an idea of his feelings visually during sex instead of just from his emotional output. Wanted to see him come apart with pleasure.

Hannibal just nodded, not even about to try and take any decision away from Will. So they adjusted their positions, Hannibal reaching out to lightly hold Will's hips, a whisper of help and support from the older man for what he wanted to do as he moved up so he was positioned over Hannibal's hips and lower abdomen…over his cock.

Will felt himself blushing furiously then, sweat trickling down from his hairline and over his temple as he looked down to Hannibal's erection lying against the older man's rising and falling lower stomach, just there between his thighs, beneath where he suspended himself on shaky legs, and it hit him then, that he had no fucking idea how to go about this.

He swallowed tensely, feeling as if he couldn't look at Hannibal because he didn't think he had it in him to say anything more, he'd already pushed himself to do so much that evening. Now all he wanted was the pleasure he'd become used to; his emotions were exhausted from the rollercoaster they'd been on so far. Will exhaled loudly through his nose then, head still hanging as he closed and opened his eyes slowly, trying to clear his mind enough to figure this out. But then Hannibal took away the mounting stress by assisting, somehow just knowing and not needing to be asked.

"Lean forward," he said, voice hoarse with desire but still gentle in his instruction, and Will followed what he said, bracing himself on his hands and arms either side of the older man's shoulders, breathing as evenly as he could as he kept his gaze averted, "spread your legs further." Hannibal added, and Will did it, letting his knees slide further apart on the duvet on either side of Hannibal so that his cock was almost touching Hannibal's abdomen. He felt one of Hannibal's hands then, behind him and between them, then he felt Hannibal's cock, the head of his erection specifically, come up to slide bluntly smooth, and very slick inside the condom, between his buttocks.

Will's arms were shaking, cock leaking another bead of pre-come, and he felt quite ready to move past the prelims.

"Angle your hips inward." Hannibal said then, and Will did it as much as he understood how to, but then Hannibal's other hand slipped into the small of his back and helped him into an arch and Will's next breath rushed unevenly from between him lips as he became aware of how Hannibal needed him positioned, feeling the head of Hannibal's cock line up just right with his asshole. It certainly felt a bit obscene now.

"Fuck..." he cursed quietly, not feeling like he was leading anymore at all.

"Bear down, Will," Hannibal breathed out, "Take me in." and he started to press up, in,

" _Fuck._ " Will said again, feeling the start of pressure against his anus, feeling how he opened up around the head of Hannibal's cock, the stretch now a familiar and rather pleasant, welcomed ache.

"Press…backwards…" Hannibal's voice was strained as he inched his sex inside and Will again followed his words, following the guiding press of Hannibal's hand on his lower back. He couldn't help gasping out when he felt his body give, felt his taut sphincter relax and then stretch to let Hannibal's cock slip inside, and oh, it did, as slick as could be, and going deep quickly too with Hannibal pressing in and Will pressing back, bearing down…

"Aaaah, fuck…" Will moaned unevenly –and Hannibal did too- as he felt every inch of Hannibal slide in, opening him up, the full stretch of his asshole a distinct sensation unlike any other, despite the fact that being filled was a familiar feeling by then, because no matter how many times he felt it, the weight of Hannibal's cock resting heavy against his prostate was always so fucking good. And the feeling was as welcomed and arousing as the knowledge that Hannibal was inside of him, connecting them and completing the moment as it had begun to do after that very first time. He felt weak in the knees now, arms still shaking, as he felt the prickle of Hannibal's pubic hair against his buttocks when Hannibal pressed firmly up against and into him, a breath leaving the Doctor's lips in a strained huff now that they were finally fully joined.

And the position for Will was both more difficult to be in and somehow exciting as well.

Will breathed, slightly slack-mouthed, through the adjustment of being penetrated, as the older man's hands skimmed up over his naked back, down his sides and then back up again into his hair. Will went forward when Hannibal drew him down for a kiss, bending his arms to accommodate it and parting his lips wide for the demanding kiss that followed, breath hitching as the position made Hannibal's cock draw out of him slightly, and then a moan caught in his throat as Hannibal pressed in again, his hands moving back down to settle on Will's hips and press him down on to his erection.

Yep, Will definitely wasn't in control anymore, and he didn't really know yet if he wanted to be. There was something so good about just being able to do nothing but feel…

 _'_ _Selfish…'_ he heard his subconscious say in an admonishing tone and he snapped out of it.

Hannibal was beginning to move his hips, starting up a momentum that sent mild volts of pleasure through Will, the sensation accompanied by the pleasant drag of the older man's cock over the sensitive nerves inside of him and around his anus. These feelings were things that Will was usually only vaguely aware of, because by now he was usually barely clinging to his faculties off the pleasure. But for some reason this time he was hyperaware of each sensation, and he noticed too that despite feeling flustered by it, he felt no shame or wrongness in it. He wanted this, Hannibal felt _so good_ inside of him.

And it really would have been the easiest thing to just take it, feel it all, without making an effort, but Will couldn't let that happen anymore, he was not going to be an idle partner. He had to be a participant, initiating and taking and having. So he severed their string of ongoing kisses and reared himself to sit up straight, breathing heavily as he determinedly pressed himself back down onto Hannibal's erection with enough force to pin the older man's hips to the bed. He had to swallow a groan at the fleeting flash of pleasure and soreness he felt, his sweat sheened brow furrowing at the sensitive stretch of the Doctor being fully inside him from root to tip. And glancing down, Will saw that the position made the resulting subtle lower abdomen distention from feeling _full_ noticeable now, where it hadn't ever been to him before in other positions.

That obscene feeling skittered around Will's mind again, but it didn't deter him in the least.

Hannibal had grunted when his hips were pinned by Will's body weight, and now his hands slid down Will's thighs and back up to grasp at his flanks as the older man panted and swallowed audibly, waiting patiently but looking strained and more than a little desperate for more. Will had to smirk at the sight of Hannibal teetering on the edge of control, so obviously wanting to do things his way, but _always_ aware of what Will might want or need. Will really didn't want to keep him waiting though, but he also didn't want Hannibal taking the lead, and so he told Hannibal so without words, leaning forward again and catching himself on one hand beside Hannibal's head as he pinned the Doctor's shoulder to the bed with the other when the older man tried to lean up for another kiss. They shared an intimate smile then, Hannibal's a knowing, glazed eyed response to Will's own, and then Will used his legs to lift himself up and forward, rising up half off Hannibal's sex, and he wet his lower lip absently, anticipating, before he sat back down on the hard, large cock stretching him open.

A broken moan left him at the pressured fullness, the sound of it as intense as his expression was right then, eyebrows drawn up lightly from the enjoyable, albeit slight, stimulation to his prostate. It felt a bit like when Hannibal had been fingering him at first, subtle stimulation that was not too much and not enough to rush him to orgasm. His eyes had slid closed but he opened them again to the sight of Hannibal taking a steadying breath, muscles tensing, damp fingers clasping at Will's sides, clearly impatient but endlessly patient at the same time. Will had already taken the leap though and he'd already established that he was going to be the one controlling this, so he moved again, up and then down, slowly at first, but then a little faster, and a little faster.

He was no expert of course, so it was just up and down again and again at a steady pace, punctuated by soft skin slaps every time he sat down flush on the older man's hard cock. But his inexperience didn't matter, because he watched how Hannibal reacted, watched every nuance of pleasure pass over his face, watched and heard his breathing increase, felt the slick grasping of the older man's restless hands over his thighs and hips and sides and buttocks, heard Hannibal swallow some moans and unsuccessfully manage to do so for many others. And minutes past that way, Will moving up and dropping down, realizing that he was remaining clear and coherent because in that position the stimulation to his prostate, while felt, remained only just partial rubs and nudges, teasing him with pleasure but not much more.

He couldn't help but feel disappointed by it, and he acknowledged that feeling, just as he acknowledged that it was because he _liked_ the position they were in, where he could move and be able to _see_ Hannibal enjoying it, enjoying them. So despite not feeling much, cock bobbing and still erect but no worse for touch than it was before, Will kept moving, panting loudly from the exertion; his fit legs not acclimated to that particular sort of exercise. His muscles burned as he lifted himself up and up over and over again, eyes opening and closing as little shocks of pleasure kept him hot but not overheating, his arousal a steady thing, but not the intense ache it usually was.

He had hoped for that in this experience as well, but it didn't matter, because Hannibal was bodily twitching beneath –and inside- him and breathing harshly and open mouthed, sweating and making undefined noises through his nose and mouth, and Will had _never_ seen him like this before.

The smacking of their skin was quiet but obvious, their breathing unmatched in intensity but paced the same for the exertion, and Will was quite sure Hannibal was going to be coming very soon, the older man's hips starting to buck up occasionally and his fingers leaving flushed indents in Will's skin whenever his body convulsed with pleasure and he grasped too tightly. And with his eyes now closed, expression set in a slight frown to match his tired breathing, Will hoped Hannibal would finish soon, because his legs were getting stiff and achy and without the delirium of consistent pleasure, his asshole felt sore around the stretch of Hannibal's cock inside of him, and…

…and he hadn't even _noticed_ that his erection had flagged until Hannibal's hand wrapped around it and the older man was reaching up and cupping his face with the other hand, his palm seemingly cool compared to the heat in Will's face. He stopped moving then, easing slowly back down into the sore stretch of Hannibal inside him and opening his eyes slowly. The moment he became still though, suddenly his breathing, the rise and fall of his chest and the burn in his muscles, all seemed so much more pronounced, and his heart beat felt harsh inside of his chest. He took a moment to breathe through it before he focused on Hannibal's flushed, half-lidded and yet assessing expression, feeling confused and quite exhausted now that he'd stopped moving,

"Hannibal, what-…?" he panted out.

"You're feeling uncomfortable." Hannibal said more than asked, voice gruff and accent thick, but his eyes were clear and considering, concerned too despite how a moment ago he'd appeared so far gone.

Will took a breath and he shook his head slowly, a drop of sweat slipping off his nose and landing in Hannibal's chest hair; he wasn't uncomfortable, just tired and trying to ignore the slight soreness in his ass.

"I'm fine." he exhaled, and then his eyes fluttered open and closed and he huffed out another breath as Hannibal fondled and stroked his cock, stimulating him with a skilled grip and slide.

Hannibal continued for a moment then, stroking him a few more times before using his other hand to pull Will down into a slow kiss, all the stimulus catching up and making him fully hard again quickly. And he was taking uneven breaths into the kiss as Hannibal stroked faster, one good feeling followed quickly by another lesser frisson of pleasure when Hannibal thrust up into him, just once, making Will inhale and exhale a bit sharply, but otherwise he was too immersed in the kiss and feeling of Hannibal's hand on his cock to pay much attention to it.

He just wanted to feel good now, he wanted to wash out some of the strain and soreness. He wanted to come. He wanted it to feel like it usually did when Hannibal was inside him. He didn't know why it felt so much less satisfying, he wasn't distracted or disinterested or conflicted, but he just assumed it was his fault because it always had been when he'd been with Molly and had had trouble getting it up or enjoying the sex. So, despite not wanting to, he'd been about to resign himself to doing what he'd done on nights with Molly when he hadn't been able to stay focused or aroused; concentrating only on making his partner come. Of course, where he'd have used his mouth and fingers on Molly, with Hannibal, his body seemed to work just fine.

Or it had been working fine until Hannibal stopped him and took over. Now Will just let it go, taking the lead be damned, the only feelings that mattered now was that of Hannibal's mouth moving against his own and his hand on his cock. But then Hannibal stopped the kiss and he stopped stroking and Will didn't even bother to hold back a soft groan and the whispered words of ' _don't stop'_ said against Hannibal's lips.

"I won't." Hannibal said breathily, his hand starting to stroke again, but he didn't continue the kiss, instead he said, "Sit up and lean back, _[m](www)ano meilė._ " he breathed out, his voice beseeching and no longer instructing, as though he really needed Will to do what he said; but not for himself, not for the sake of letting him know how something was done, but because it _needed_ to be done.

Will listened automatically, since only good things tended to happen when Hannibal was in charge of the sex, and he was focused on Hannibal's hand stroking him all the while as he pushed himself up to sit as he'd been doing before, slightly hunched forward. But Hannibal didn't let him be, instead the older man placed his free hand on Will's abdomen, lightly pressing him back as he continued to stroke loosely. And while Will's immediate thought at leaning back was _'this will hurt my back'_ , no further thoughts occurred beyond that, because just as he leaned back –Hannibal' hands both moving to grasp his hips again and offer him some leverage- the Doctor nudged his hips up, and all Will could do was moan,

"Aaah, f-fuck!" quite loudly, every inch of his body tensing up, especially around Hannibal inside him, and his skin tingling anew from the sudden shock of pleasure that came over him; the pleasure he'd been seeking from the beginning, the raw and glorious burst of ' _oh yes'_ followed by an aching pull in his loins that made him want more and more.

"That's it." Hannibal rasped out, and Will didn't even know his eyes had closed, only realizing it when he tried to open them again to look down at Hannibal, but was unsuccessful since the older man pumped his hips up again and the pressure against his prostate made Will moan loudly, mouth slackening on an exhale before he pressed his lips together, making a short humming sound. "Put your hands behind you for balance, Will, on my legs." Hannibal's voice was a half whisper, breathless and affected; more by what he was seeing than feeling?

Will didn't know, but he certainly didn't feel attractive right then, let alone appealing enough to make Hannibal sound so taken and caught up, but he couldn't focus on that, not when he was focused on the key points; full, pleasurable pressure against his prostate and leaning back to brace himself on Hannibal's slightly bent up knees.

" _[T](www)aip. Štai taip._ " Hannibal said in a rushed breath, words that were lost on Will, and then the Doctor was pumping his hips up again and again, attempting to thrust despite Will's weight sitting on him, and Will let his mouth fall open around half-breathed, half vocalized moans as he clenched his hands as tightly, just above Hannibal's knees, as the older man's hands were clenching on his hips. The entire idea of mutual pleasure was renewed for Will then, and with a great deal of enthusiasm too, and he was panting loudly around moans now, trying to catch his breath as Hannibal pushed up into him in _that perfect way_ that had Will's coherence slipping as his mind clouded over with ecstasy.

He was still aware enough to know where Hannibal's hands were on him, and the grip the older man had on his hips was urging him to lift himself, so he did. And then came the first proper thrust of a direct strike to his prostate in that position and Will heard how thoroughly fucking wanton he sounded when he moaned next, his head falling back and all of his muscles subtly rippling with contractions of pleasure as he was leaned back, torso stretched and muscles pulled taut. Hannibal didn't stop thrusting then, the slap of skin on skin abruptly louder, sharper, faster, the high pitched cursing moans that Will let out bouncing off the walls, his eyes closed and mouth falling open, damp and kiss-reddened as he panted, the coiled pleasure in his balls and pelvis teeming, his cock bobbing where it jutted into the air as the head became wetter with fresh pre-come.

This was it. This had been missing.

And if his eyes hadn't been closed already, Will was quite sure they would have rolled back and shut when Hannibal freed up his right hand and wrapped it around his cock again, the older man stroking as quickly and precisely as he was thrusting up into Will.

It was an onslaught of _pleasurepleasurepleasure_ then, everything else drowned out –as Will preferred-, all except for the sounds of their sex and their harsh breathing; the almost consistent chant of shaky, pitchy _ahs_ and curses falling from Will's lips. And Hannibal was as full of stamina and endurance as ever, his pace not slowing down, not wavering, if anything, his hips were thrusting faster and harder, punctuating and driving and determined, just as the older man's stroking hand on his cock was.

Will didn't know how long passed like that, he just knew that it was getting really hard to breathe through his moans and the consistently swelling and surging waves of pleasure. He could feel his legs and arms shaking jelly-like, his hands slippery where he was bracing himself on Hannibal's tensing, working, sweat damp thighs behind him, but he could feel no soreness anymore and he momentarily wondered why it hadn't been feeling good for him before…

Then it hit him, a flash of clarity just at the cusp of the crescendo; the position, the angle, prostate location, the natural curve of Hannibal's cock…

"Uuuhn, **God**!" Will trembled as his body was jerked up with every quick thrust from Hannibal, toes curling as he felt his rectum spasm around Hannibal's thick sex inside him, and too, at exactly the same time Hannibal moaned below him, baring his sharp, uneven teeth, his thrusts becoming erratic and _aggressive_ in response to Will's clenching body. His stroking hand then slid up and down more firmly, twisting along Will's cock with more urgency, his reclining body tenser now, muscles visibly twitching as his eyes fluttered open and closed.

Hannibal was coming. Will realized it almost absently when he felt the bruising grip the older man had on his hips coupled with his rushed, uneven thrusts and quiet groaning exhales.

He saw all of it in flashes through his own fluttering eyelids, feeling the muscular tension of Hannibal's body between his thighs, beneath him, the hard throbbing inside of him, and he heard the older man's labored breathing and choked back groans clashing with his own too loud heartbeat and breathing. But Hannibal's hand never stopped masturbating him, even when the older man's thrusts faltered and began to taper off, he stroked and rubbed all the while, eliciting choked breaths and a string of warbled moans from Will, who started coming even before he realized it was happening, pleasure sparking through him and alighting so vibrantly he felt it in his teeth.

Immediately –and weakly- when he orgasmed, he pitched his body forward with a loud, gasped moan, catching himself on his hands either side of Hannibal's head and hunching over with his fingers grasping the duvet as he shivered and twitched with ecstasy while ejaculating between them, all over the older man's hand and abdomen, a few shoots of semen even reaching Hannibal's chest in that position.

He was lost then, to all but the pleasure of orgasm saturating his nerves for a blissful, long minute as he braced himself on shaking arms above Hannibal, but eventually it passed and he became aware of the loudness of their breathing again, and then gradually the lack of feeling in his bent, straddling legs and the trickles of sweat slipping down along his spine, headed in the direction of his _sore_ and sensitive asshole.

Yes, he could feel that again now too.

So, the position had its pros and cons then; he'd have to reconsider how best to go about doing it again in the future to avoid an excess of soreness.

He opened his eyes when he felt Hannibal's hands settle on his hips, fingers pressing into the yet visible bruises as he urged Will to get up from sitting on him,

"You're shaking," he said, voice hoarse and quiet and breathy, "your legs will likely be somewhat numb." he applied more strength then and half lifted him up as Will lifted himself, using his hands to bear some of the weight that his legs were having trouble with.

He mostly fell off of Hannibal then, feeling a twinge of pain as their bodies disconnected, and he landed on the side of the older man, both of them lying horizontal to the head of the bed on their backs, their heads just short of hanging off the side edge as both of them tried to catch their breaths. Will felt grateful for Hannibal getting him to move though, because there was relief in being stretched out again; nevertheless, pins and needles set in very quickly anyway, and it hurt as much as it really didn't, being as it was just annoying tingling and prickling. It didn't bother him though, too distracted by thoughts of the sex they'd just had. The entire experience had been different in terms of focus and soreness and sensation, but in the end the orgasm had still been worth it in Will's opinion. Or at least it had once Hannibal had put things in _place_ , as it were.

Will raised his arms as he stretched out further, wiggling his tingling toes and brushing his sweaty hair back from his face, trying not to smirk at his own stupid thoughts when Hannibal suddenly sat up, leaned on an elbow and looking down at him,

"I apologize, Will," Hannibal cleared his throat and Will blinked lazily as he met the Doctor's eyes, confused since his pleasure foggy mind was still clearing, "this should have gone differently from the start. I wasn't paying attention and I…" he sighed heavily and clenched his jaw, not nearly as composed as he usually was after sex, or ever really, as he brushed his own sweaty hair back from his face, shaking his head and looking incredibly frustrated with himself, "Are you alright?" he finally continued, and ended, whatever he'd been about to say.

Will cleared his throat as well and he nodded, frowning lightly at Hannibal's displeased expression,

"I'm fine…I mean, I'm great. Why?" he brought his hands down from his hair and pushed himself up on shaky arms so he was leaning up and braced on both elbows, close enough to feel Hannibal's next sigh ghost over his face as they looked into one another's eyes, both frowning for different reasons, "What do you mean you weren't paying attention?" he huffed a laugh at the weirdness of that statement, even though he was still frowning.

Hannibal sighed _again_ and brought his free hand to Will's face to hold his jaw lightly, lightly brushing his thumb over the faded stab wound scar on his cheek,

"I should have been aware that you were not feeling good, Will, I…" he swallowed tensely, "…I was…"

Will's faculties were all coming back online now, pins and needles fading too, and he was able to guess at what was bothering Hannibal, so, because he was feeling the complete opposite of what Hannibal thought, he let that sense of satisfied contentment drive his actions.

He leaned in and kissed Hannibal's frowning mouth with a soft smile on his own lips,

"You were enjoying yourself." he said quietly, their lips sticking softly together with his words, Hannibal's resulting shaken breath and audible swallow following, "And I did feel good," he smiled wider, "I still do. It was good," he sighed too, but his sigh was happy and light and exhaled into another lip to lip kiss between them before he drew back, "challenging, but good." he joked, chuckling with an arched eyebrow, feeling easy and relaxed and comfortable despite the aches slowly making themselves known in his body.

Hannibal's smile was hesitant and slow but eventually it became full-fledged and adoring and he closed his eyes and pressed another lingering kiss to Will's lips, before whispering,

"Not enjoying myself, _[m](www)ano svajonė,_ I was enjoying **you**." quietly and mischievous, a naughty secret confessed between them.

It made him blush, feeling his face get ridiculously hot as he huffed another laugh and ducked his head, glancing down and seeing that Hannibal had removed the condom at some point and was holding it pinched closed in the hand of the arm he was balancing on. His blush only became hotter then, especially when Hannibal nuzzled the damp hair atop his head and he found himself wondering just what he must have looked like… _riding_ Hannibal.

He cleared his throat and tried to ignore his burning hot face as he changed the subject,

"Mah-no su-way-yon-yeh?" he repeated what he'd heard Hannibal say a moment ago as best he could, the foreign language broken and the vernacular all wrong in his American accent.

Hannibal chuckled then, deep and dark and yet endlessly fond and intimate just between them; a sound that wasn't so familiar to Will that it didn't still surprise him and make his stomach feel light and yet tense at the same time for how unexpected it always was.

"Yes, _[m](www)ano graži svajonė_ ," his voice was a deep alluring sound that further warmed Will's ears and he raised his head, his eyes, their noses bumping, lips brushing, Hannibal's hand sliding down to his neck and up again to twist into the damp hair at his nape in a slow, comfortable caress, " _[m](www)ano fantazija_. _[M](www)ano šviesa, mano tamsa..._ " the words fell from his lips with perfect clarity and yet Will understood none of it, "… _[m](www)ano asmeninis Dievas_. _[A](www)š garbinu tave be galo._ " Hannibal's smile was sharp and then soft and then it was a kiss against his lips.

Will hummed into the kiss and then drew back and shook his head, eyebrows arched, eyes half-lidded, lips warm and stretched into a curious smile, his voice just as much a whisper as the older man's,

"How is it that I don't even know what the hell you're saying, and yet it still…" he trailed off. He didn't know how to describe the fact that it made him dizzy-hot, made his chest warm inside and out, made his stomach feel weightless and made him want to hear more even if he could never understand it.

Hannibal looked at him then, really looked at him, auburn eyes directly into green-blue, their pupils blown but gazes clear. And the look held a depth that used to cut through Will in the past, when they'd just been Professor Will Graham and psychiatrist Doctor Lecter, but now that depth was not a well of dangerous curiosity, instead it was brimming with devotion and affection.

"Because even though you do not understand the exact words I say, Will," he spoke quietly, voice laced with emotion as he shifted closer, his leg sliding against and between Will's, his hand drawing Will closer so he could speak against the warm shell of Will's ear, "you **do** know what every word means." he nuzzled Will's ear and then pressed kisses down to his neck.

Will hadn't known; or maybe he had and didn't think of it, but now he knew for certain and he moved closer as well, moving to lay on his side and balance on his arm like Hannibal was, freeing up one arm so he could grasp a handful of the older man's dark hair in a tight grip, unintentionally encouraging Hannibal's kissing and light sucking at his neck as his own emotions caught up to match Hannibal's, not conflicted but still somehow in turmoil over how much he felt for the murderous cannibal _gently_ nibbling at the vulnerable skin of his throat.

"How do I say it?" he asked quietly, eyes drifting closed as he turned his head to press his lips to Hannibal's ear, "Tell me how to say it in Lithuanian, Hannibal." he more insisted than suggested, wanting to hear it spoken in the raw honesty of the Doctor's native tongue as much as he wanted to know how to say it himself.

Hannibal drew back, pressed a kiss to his lips and then looked him steadily in the eyes,

"[A](www)š tave myliu." he answered, and even though he didn't understand the words, hearing the way Hannibal said them, voice a breathy promise, Will knew it was those three little words.

"Ash-ta-vay-me-loo." he said it back just as quietly, knowing he was probably not saying it right, but he knew Hannibal would get it, so he grinned and said it again, "Ash-ta-vay-me-loo, too." chuckling afterwards.

Hannibal smiled, showing teeth, but not in a sharp way, as his expression was soft and open,

" _Aš taip pat myliu tave_." the older man said, lowering his gaze, looking down at Will's lips.

"Is that 'I love you, too'?" Will asked with a smile, watching Hannibal watch his mouth as he talked, as they shared their breaths.

The Doctor hummed affirmation and tilted his head, threading and playing his fingers through Will's hair as he tracked his gaze over the rest of Will's face.

"It doesn't translate directly. ' _Aš taip pat myliu tave'_ is 'I also love you', but in the end it's the same thing."

And it was, because both statements would mean exactly the same thing. Will cleared his throat,

"Ash-tape-putt…me-loo-taver." and he laughed at himself afterwards, averting his gaze and shaking his head because it sounded ridiculous when he said it.

"It's not bad. Accents can be tricky." Hannibal said quietly, but he looked amused. Will scoffed softly,

"Oh please, you still have your accent and you've mastered English." he said plainly, looking at Hannibal again, eyebrow cocked, when he said, "And English probably isn't even your _second_ language."

Hannibal, to his credit, didn't look smug or self-satisfied, however, he also didn't seem humble or try to deny the implication that he'd mastered more languages.

Will wasn't surprised though, not by the truth of it or by Hannibal not denying it, and he also wasn't surprised when Hannibal leaned in and kissed him again, that time deepening the joining of their lips quickly and licking his way into Will's mouth. It lasted a while, Hannibal's free hand constant in its caresses from his hair down over his neck and shoulder, arm and waist and back up again, and Will didn't feel the need to end it, not until the mid-spring cool air started to raise goosebumps on his naked skin and he shivered.

Hannibal drew back from the kiss then, his caressing hand moving to rub up and down Will's upper arm firmly, feeling the little bumps and risen hairs,

"I think a hot shower would serve to make you warm again." he said quietly, his voice gruff and lips redder than a moment before from their kissing.

"A shower does sound good." Will agreed, glancing around then and for the first time noticing that one of the bedroom windows were open; he didn't have a moment to panic about how the people walking by in the streets below might have heard them having sex, because Hannibal said,

"I'll check on Francesca in the-…" and was interrupted by a curious whine coming from the _open_ doorway.

Both of them looked toward the door and sure enough, there was Francesca, looking quite like she'd been awake and watching them, her head rested on her paws and ears pointed and alert from when she'd heard her name. Overall, she seemed entirely comfortable there.

"Oh God, _seriously_ …" Will sighed, "…the window _and_ the door, both open. It's like we were raised in a damn barn." he muttered and then looked at Hannibal who seemed a bit confused and was frowning, maybe not understanding the latter statement. Will didn't want to explain it right then though, not while he was butt-naked and trying not to think of how many people had heard him moaning down below in the streets. Instead he pushed himself to get up, "How long do you think she's been here, didn't you smell her or something?" he asked with a sigh, not even shy about bringing up Hannibal's abnormal sense of smell.

"Of course I did, but I assumed she'd left again." he answered evenly, also moving to get off the bed, "The scent of dog lingers for a while after and I was absorbed in something far more _important_ , so I did not wonder whether she'd left again or not when the smell remained present." Hannibal explained unapologetically as Will walked toward their pile of clothes from which he retrieved and pulled on his underwear, and he picked up the older man's boxer briefs too, handing them to him when Hannibal came to stand beside him. He gave the Doctor a look that wasn't technically an eye roll, but might as well have been.

And of course, he fucking blushed again because they both knew what important things Hannibal had been so absorbed in.

When they approached the door Francesca quickly got up, whining some more and wagging her tail now and as they both crouched down to pet her. Hannibal made Will blush darker with his next smiling words,

"I assume she came to check on you when she heard all the noise," and Will's face was reaching supernova temperatures now as he glared at Hannibal, "but then she realized they weren't _bad_ noises you were making and she settled down." he added and glanced at Will, who saw that there was an uncertainty beneath Hannibal's amusement and fond mirth, so before Hannibal could think Will didn't appreciate the humor or he could second guess himself, he shot back with a smirk of his own,

"You weren't all that quiet yourself, so maybe she was here to check on you, too."

Hannibal laughed then, smiling wider, his entire face morphing into something youthful with delight despite the –somehow attractive- age lines at the corners of his eyes, and when his laughter naturally eased and he was just smiling, he said,

"Perhaps, yes, but either way, she decided in the end that we were quite alright." Will laughed too then, unable to help it, having seen the very proper Doctor Lecter laugh so freely. And genuinely too, since there was no need for his person suit; that meant his laugh was real…and their happiness was real too.

Francesca was happy as well and she barked once, excited, and Will knew that if she were a smaller dog she'd probably be turning in circles or jumping up and down for how happy she was. He reached out to pet her again, taking her face in his hands and scratching behind her ears, grinning as he kissed the top of her furry head. And he wouldn't have noticed he was still cold or that he was droopy eyed with tiredness if it hadn't been for Hannibal drawing his attention back to it with a light hand sliding down his back,

"You were going to take a shower to warm up, _[m](www)eilė_ , I will see to Francesca." he stood up and Will did as well,

" _My-lee_?" he repeated what he heard, walking out of the room with Hannibal and Francesca following, "I'm assuming these are terms of endearment?" he asked, surprising himself by his own boldness, but it was too late to take it back. And besides, Hannibal looked absolutely smitten with him, with his open behavior; the teasing, playful, flirty side that Will had been holding back for so long.

Hannibal actually seemed to love it.

"They are, yes. Many variations." he walked by the bathroom door, which was where Will stopped, Francesca trotting ahead of the older man. Will leaned against the frame of the open bathroom door and he watched them go down the passage, watched Hannibal, who turned to walk –gracefully- backwards facing him, still smiling like a lovelorn idiot.

Will was loving this too mind you.

And he went with the flow,

"If we'll be doing affectionate terms in Lithuanian, then you need to tell me how to say _babe._ " only catching up with his running mouth after the last word was already out, and he felt a sudden lump of anxiousness drop heavily into in his stomach. Because seriously? _Babe_? Even if he did have the guts to call Hannibal that in any language –which he doubted he ever would-, wouldn't the older man hate being called something so pedestrian?

Hannibal seemed to take it as a joke though, his smile going from forlorn to amused before he turned and continued down the hall and around the corner. Will was instantly relieved to be alone with his big mouth, knocking his head once lightly against the door frame before turning into the bathroom and shutting the door quietly. He took in a deep breath and pressed his fingers into his eyes once he was closed in with his thoughts, still reeling a bit because _that_ comment had been fucking _impulsive_. And stupid as it seemed, even getting ahead of himself about something so small made him panic slightly. So, sex was apparently not the only thing he needed to work on becoming more comfortable with.

They had mental intimacy down almost from the beginning, but not so much the physical intimacy and emotional intimacy, although the physical part was definitely coming along nicely…

With a warm cheeked sigh he walked to the shower, amazed that after trying new sex experiences and having new aches and pains in different places on his body, the most ridiculous and impulsive thing he'd done all night was suggest he call Hannibal _babe_.

He couldn't help laughing at himself randomly during his shower.

* * *

When he came out of the shower a while later -to a cleaned up bedroom and bed made up with fresh linen and covers- he checked the time on his cell phone and he saw a message from Hannibal with a picture attached to it. He opened it and immediately he was smiling, a wide, fond, boyish grin, before he bit his lip, wondering whether it'd be so bad to call Hannibal _babe_ , even if it was cheesy.

The picture he was presently looking at on his phone was pretty cheesy. It was the photograph of the two of them he'd sent the older man a few days ago –he'd actually forgotten about it-, but it was now edited, framed inside of one of those cheesy red and pink heart decorated frames that came standard with some phone apps, and somehow not even looking as tawdry as it should have.

Will sat down on the bedside in only a towel around his narrow waist, staring at the picture for a while, at the magazine quality lovely dovey looks on their faces and the hearts surrounding them, an HD, full colour image surrounded by little red and pink hearts. He hadn't even known Hannibal had it in him to be so silly.

He laughed softly to himself, but even as he did, his chest was tight and warm and his eyes were becoming damp and Will didn't even know why.

Although he kind of did know; it was the small things that really affected him, that made him think of how much time they'd lost and wasted, about all the things he still didn't know about Hannibal as a man, as a person, made him think of how things _might_ have been if they'd both done just a few things differently

Just a few.

Blinking away the unfallen tears in his eyes, Will took in a deep breath through his nose and closed the picture and message on his phone, placing his phone down on the bedside table and running a hand through his damp hair. He still smiled though, because he'd already made the decision to move forward and stop looking back and to stop _stopping_ himself was getting closer to Hannibal.

This was just another reason to push himself…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Translations Type-out](https://s5.postimg.cc/abpk7io87/FF2_Chapter_6_Translations.jpg/)   
> 


	7. Didn't you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final part! Please leave your thoughts, I appreciate any and every comment!
> 
> \- Please read the tags, as they cover everything that happens in the story but not specifically, so just be prepared in case you're sensitive to certain kinds of violence.  
> \- There is foreign language used in these chapters, please hover the cursor over the first letter at the beginning of ever foreign speech sentence to see the translation for your convenience!  
> \- There will be a part 3 of Faded Fantasy, which may only be 2 or 3 chapters. This one already exceeded the number I was aiming for because I get pretty wordy and I can't help myself. The third part will cover a more advanced stage of Hannibal and Will's relationship, so if you enjoy this part then perhaps look out for part 3!  
> \- These chapters were inspired by Damien Rice (naturally), particularly his new track: 100 Miles Across The Room, but also a few other songs too.  
> \- Any mistakes you find are all mine, I have no beta. Please report anything major to me!  
> \- Translations Typed Out link is available at the end of the chapter for those using cell phones.

* * *

* * *

Typical of wealthy people, the wedding of Elvin and Celine was an extravagant affair held at the Radisson Collection, Strand Hotel; hundreds of guests in attendance and an excessive ceremony and reception as expected.

Will at least had not felt underdressed for the occasion. He'd actually been relieved that he'd accepted when Hannibal had said he should get a new custom tailored suit for the event, because the guests all looked like magazine suit and dress models –or at least their clothes did-, and if he'd dressed in anything less he would have felt out of place. His suit was really nice, he'd had his say about the colours and cut as much as he cared to, but Hannibal had decided on the rest. He had kept Will's preferences in mind though, and the end result was a three piece oxford blue suit, worn with a black and silver houndstooth tie, a solid and crisp white shirt, black oxford formal shoes and finally, a very subtly paisley patterned salmon and navy blue coloured pocket square.

Hannibal, however, for once was far less dressed up and yet he somehow still managed to look classier and more elegant. His suit was only a two piece, a slate gray with a faint sheen to it and a subtle white plaid pattern, worn with a solid black shirt and similar shoes to Will's, except with a narrower toe point. Not even a pocket square. But the detail that stood out the most to Will was that Hannibal hadn't shaved his face, leaving his angular, debonair features complemented by the fine silver/black growth of even stumble over his jaw and above his upper lip, which was a perfect match to the tones of colour in his loosely styled hair. The look was quite new.

It suited him actually, and throughout the evening Will caught himself staring at Hannibal on more than one occasion; not nearly as many times as he caught Hannibal staring at him though, which made him feel less ridiculous. But really, whether it was a charming fake smile directed at someone they knew among the guests, or sipping from whatever drink was in his hand, shaking hands with new acquaintances, even the way the event lighting would catch the silver in his hair while he was just standing with his hands casually in his suit pockets, Will couldn't seem to help noticing and looking and watching.

He tried not to be caught staring though, except for when Hannibal was dancing with any of the many females who were charmed by him and wanted to test out his dance skills. And then there had been one of the gay men who was there with his husband. That had been the last of Hannibal's dances for the evening however, because he and Hannibal had immediately sniffed out their deeper interests and had decided it was best to call it a night. Still, Will had ended up being reeled into dancing with the other husband by some sort of default that he didn't entirely get.

And after enduring a single song of the man's annoying small talk and subtle –yet obvious to Will- underlined flirting, while focusing on keeping as comfortable a distance as was polite between himself and his default dance partner, Will had very quickly –albeit somewhat politely- disengaged from the man and he'd swapped partners again, slipping with comfortable ease and calm into the next dance with Hannibal pressed close and the older man's possessive hand settled quite low on his back.

Hannibal had asked him quietly in his ear, ' _Did he attempt anything untoward?'_ in a tone of absolute murderous intent and Will had smiled and turned his head to speak intimately against Hannibal's prickly jaw when he responded, ' _You were watching like a hawk, the entire time, so you know that he didn't. Besides, I'd have broken any hand he might have tried with._ '

Hannibal had chuckled and hummed, dark and sinister and velvety smooth against Will's ear. ' _I'd have broken his neck._ ' he'd said, and while Will had already subconsciously known that would be the likely outcome of a crude pass being made at him, he still blushed lightly at hearing Hannibal voice it. He'd smirked, pleased and not even wondering when Hannibal killing to defend his honor had begun to sound so right, because he'd had wanted to admit that he too would have been equally pissed off and intent on murder if Hannibal's dance partner had tried to get fresh. But he wouldn't say it, because saying something like that out loud seemed too weird for him, so he'd held his tongue.

He didn't know why, but acknowledging it out aloud the way Hannibal did seemed like too much. But maybe Hannibal already knew he felt the same, because in the past he'd been murderously angry about that museum manager woman coming onto Hannibal, he'd felt quite like he'd have murdered her if Hannibal had slept with her; justified or not.

They hadn't talked any more about the other couple as they danced, and especially not about the fact that they'd obviously been looking for a swingers date with Hannibal and himself. They'd just danced quietly and then stayed for another half hour or so at the reception mingling some, but mostly enjoying one another's company quietly at their designated table seating. They only left after the bride and groom had left, as it was the polite to do, because of course, Hannibal would never forget his manners at social events.

* * *

Overall the wedding had been a pleasant undertaking, and even though Will had been worried about being recognized, in the end he felt like he'd been too paranoid. Most of the guests had been northern European and a lot of them had barely been able to speak English, and on top of that, the bride and groom had been the focus of all the guests, so he and Hannibal had just blended into the crowd and no one paid them more mind than was necessary at a passing social event.

Except for the gay couple they'd danced with.

* * *

It came back to Will when they were almost back at their temporary apartment, how he'd immediately known the couples intentions toward them the moment Hannibal had been asked to dance, and then Will too just a moment after.

The couple had wanted…a what? A foursome?

Will frowned as he sat in the passenger seat of the Volvo, staring out of the window as they drove through the empty roads so late at night. His lips were pursed, pressed white, and his right hand was clenching into the meat of his thigh through his expensive pants as he tried to picture such a thing and found himself becoming irritable and even somewhat nauseated by the idea. He'd hardly been the type for casual sex, except for a few moments of weakness in his fractured and delirious past, let alone promiscuity or polyamorous sex.

Monogamy was something Will had aspired to all his life in relationships, even when it had backfired on him with one of his earliest girlfriends who'd cheated on him and hadn't even seemed to feel bad about it. But even that bad experience hadn't made him bitter enough to do it to anyone else.

"Will?" he was so lost in thought he actually flinched at the sound of Hannibal's voice in the quiet space of the dark car, "Are you alright, you look upset." and Hannibal sounded worried, probably wondering if he'd done something to cause a problem between them. But that was the farthest thing from it; nothing had been wrong between them for a while now, not with their communication channels more open than before and their relationship developing so well.

He unpursed his lips,

"I'm fine." he responded, smiling as he looked across the console space between them at Hannibal, and his frown became raised eyebrows as he shook his head and scoffed, "I was just thinking about that couple we danced with."

Hannibal didn't immediately respond, but when he did his voice was murderously low again,

"So he did offend you, then?"

Will looked at him and half rolled his eyes,

"No, relax, Hannibal." he diffused the older man's tension, reaching out and lightly squeezing Hannibal's forearm where his hand was holding the low end of the steering wheel; a touch that he barely even had think about doing and only noticed because of how he felt Hannibal relax under his hand. Feeling quite content about the emotional effect he had on Hannibal, he squeezed lightly again and was very pleased when Hannibal's hand left the steering wheel to link fingers with his own, both of their hands now resting to the side of the older man's thigh.

Will's face was hot again. They'd held hands quite a few times throughout the evening and yet even now, in the privacy and dark of the car, he still couldn't help it. He also felt as though he couldn't help saying what was on his mind, especially with the new open channel of communication between them,

"I was thinking about what they wanted from us." he began, taking in a quiet but deep breath before he added, "And I was wondering if you've ever experienced that before." because it seemed entirely likely.

He'd glanced at Hannibal when he said it, but the older man's expression was neutral and overall unreadable when he answered,

"Yes, I have been propositioned before regarding sexual encounters involving more than two people." he answered honestly and without any kind of inflection in his voice.

Will was glad that he'd answered honestly, however, that wasn't what he'd been asking about. Taking a moment to let Hannibal's answer settle, Will watched the road ahead, not recognizing where they were at all and seeing fine rain droplets beginning to wet the windscreen, and only once he felt prepared to say what he wanted to say, did he part his lips and raise his eyebrows,

"I assumed you'd been propositioned before," he admitted, leaning an elbow up on the window ledge of the door and slowly carding his hand through his hair, "considering how hedonistic and self-indulgent you eccentric, wealthy people can be, I imagine it's not an uncommon thing."

I see." Hannibal said flatly, and then after he'd signaled and taken a left turn into a narrow road lined by several multi-story apartment buildings, he quietly clarified what Will was trying to indirectly ask, "You would like to know if I've ever accepted such a proposition." and again, there was no inflection in his tone, just plain accented words shared between them. Will looked at him and waited until Hannibal glanced at him in turn before he nodded and shrugged slightly,

"Have you?"

There was another brief silence between them as they arrived at the luxury apartment building they were staying at and Hannibal parked the car neatly beside the curb between two other cars. The apartment buildings didn't have a great many guests, so allotted parking spaces were not really necessary, the sidewalk would do as it had for the last three days.

Hannibal switched the car off, casting them into silence just as the drizzle that had started up began to fall heavier. They both unclipped their seatbelts, but the older man didn't move to get out of the car though, so Will remained still in his seat as well, except now he looked at Hannibal properly, and he expected Hannibal to look at him as well now that the car was stationary…but he wasn't.

In fact, in addition to avoiding eye contact, he looked a little tense.

Will almost frowned and asked what was wrong, but then he realized what the problem was, remembering how negatively he'd reacted the last time Hannibal had divulged information about his sexual history. He sighed then and leaned his head against the headrest, still facing Hannibal,

"I'm not going to get mad, I swear. I'm just curious." he squeezed Hannibal's hand again.

The Doctor did look at him then and after lightly wetting his lips he nodded once,

"I have yes, although the last time I did was several years ago." he confessed quietly.

Will's imagination immediately provided him with visuals of it; Hannibal with three people, or four or five, men and women, all kissing, touching, writhing and fucking each other, and he felt instantly sick to his stomach, the feeling caused by both his dislike for polyamory and also from an unnecessary amount of jealousy.

When he didn't say anything, staring distantly at a spot on the windshield, Hannibal swallowed thickly and spoke,

"You said you wouldn't be mad." in a tone that suggested he wished he'd not answered the question to begin with.

"We knew each other several years ago." Will pointed out without missing a beat, and even though he outwardly couldn't hide how off-put he felt by the admission that Hannibal was just as sexually hedonistic as many other people, he was actually making an effort to tamp down his angry feelings about it, because it was not his place to judge, nor did it matter as long as it had happened before they were together.

Hannibal tilted his head,

" _Several_ more than that, Will. I was still a surgeon at the time." Hannibal clarified, sounding a bit annoyed at having to explain himself, and he was right to feel that way, because he didn't have to.

But he would if Will wanted him to. Will knew that, but still, it irked him.

"How many people?" he asked quietly.

"Only ever three."

"How many times." he withdrew his hand from Hannibal's to idly rub it over his mouth.

"…twice." Hannibal sounded like he was holding back a deep sigh.

"Women or men…or both?"

"Will." the older man did sigh now.

"Hannibal." Will insisted to know with just his name.

A beat of silence passed and then Hannibal sighed more loudly and he also stared at the wet windscreen,

"That is irrelevant, Will, and I have no wish to ruin this evening any further by telling you things you do not need to, or even want to, know, but yet insist on for some reason." and there was finality to his tone now, wanting Will to drop the subject, which was probably a good idea, since the mood was pretty fucked up now.

 _'_ _I'm doing it again.'_ Will realized with a clenched jaw. He was running Hannibal through emotional highs and lows just because he couldn't keep his shit straight. He started shaking his head and was about to make a joke about it, to brush it off, because it really did not matter. But then Hannibal asked,

"Are you interested in knowing because it's something you want to experience yourself?" and Will's eyebrows shot up before he frowned deeply and looked at Hannibal incredulously,

"What? **No** , jesus, why would you even…" his frown turned into a scowl, lip curling up in disgust, "…are you asking me **that** because you're thinking about me experiencing that with you and someone else?" he asked tightly, immediately pissed off by the idea and surprising himself by how threatening he sounded without even meaning to.

Hannibal's mouth turned down into a plainly angered scowl then and his eyes cut sharply from the windscreen to look at Will,

"I would **kill** anyone who would dare to touch you sexually, whether _you_ wanted them to or not." he said just as frankly threatening as Will had spoken to him, his tone as cutting as his chef's knives, perfectly able slice through flesh and bone. And when he'd said it this time it wasn't with charm or hesitation to say something that might make Will uncomfortable, it was _real_ , it was exactly what Hannibal Lecter would do.

Will knew a normal person wouldn't – and shouldn't- be okay with that level of possessiveness, shouldn't find it _attractive_ , but he was not normal...and after a moment spent just staring into Hannibal's dark, lightless eyes with only the sounds of rain falling around them, he smiled and arched an eyebrow,

"Good." sounding unexpectedly breathless. And he followed it up with unexpected impulsiveness when he leaned across the console, grabbed Hannibal by the lapel of his suit jacket and dragged him forward into a firm kiss, both of them inhaling as their mouths slotted together and then slowly parted to deepen the kiss, each shocked for the same reason; Will's unexpected forcefulness.

And when he drew back from the kiss a short while later, after one particularly languid tangling of their tongues, Will expected to want to backpedal from his own action…but he didn't feel that way. Instead an entirely different scenario for the end of their enjoyable evening came to mind, one he'd been considering since before they came to Stockholm and had tentatively kept in mind as a possibility. And that night, after so publically being the couple they absolutely were, it seemed like as good an occasion as any to try it.

He ducked his head just a bit when the thought of what he was planning heated his face and he cleared his throat,

"Let's go up." Will leaned back, releasing Hannibal's jacket, but the man stayed where he was, the lapel of his expensive suit now wrinkled and skew, his lips damp with shared saliva and his eyes just a bit glazed over with lingering surprise and arousal. Will appreciated the sight immensely and his voice was laced with said appreciation when he spoke again, "Before the rain comes down any harder." glancing at the water running down the windscreen before he turned to open his car door, getting out without waiting for Hannibal, who couldn't seem to shake his dazedness.

And as Will rushed around the car through the rain and into the apartment building entrance, he couldn't help smiling, even though he was nervous about what the evening –or rather, the early morning ahead- would hold for them, he was still keen and excited to go through with it.

* * *

Francesca was very happy to see them and after a lot of petting from Will, and a generous greeting from Hannibal crouching down to pet her as well, Will stood and proceeded to shrug out of his suit jacket, hands only lightly shaking as he mentally prepared himself for what was to come.

He waited until Hannibal was moving to stand up, waited until the older man's attention was 100% focused on him, before Will looked him in the eye, affected his best flirtatious expression and said,

"I'm going to take a long, hot bath, my body is still a little stiff," in his smoothest voice, blinking once slowly and inclining his head when he added, "would you see to Francesca, please?" because he needed to buy some time alone.

And he hadn't even needed to say please, especially since the last time he'd said please so blatantly, to a strapped down, guard monitored Hannibal, it hadn't exactly been said with good intentions. Even so, the past was in the past, and the Hannibal of now -free and handsome and dressed in an expensive suit- his reaction was to swallow tensely and only barely manage to hide how drawn in and aroused he was by Will flirting with him, by Will making reference to his body being sore from the sex they'd had just the night before.

Hannibal looked properly besotted right then and when he nodded in acquiescence, he didn't even try to hide or keep his emotions guarded, allowing Will to get a steady stream of input about the older man's unending and upending feelings of affection and devotion and love, all for him and in positively frightening doses.

"Thanks." Will managed, sounding strained and breathless as he swallowed around his own rush of feelings in reaction to Hannibal's. It was so much…it was a wonder Will had _never_ seen it in the past. Willful blindness he supposed. He turned then and left Hannibal standing there in the living area of the apartment, heading toward the bedroom and taking in a deep breath as his heart rate picked up and he became nervous all over again.

He entered the bedroom and walked straight to the one suitcase he'd purposely left half unpacked, crouching down by it on the floor and moving the clothes on top aside to retrieve what he'd packed at the very bottom. Will lifted out the sealed enema package as if it were a dark secret and he quickly glanced behind him to the door to make sure Hannibal hadn't appeared. Certain he was alone, he quickly stood up and walked from the room out into the hallway and straight into the bathroom, closing and quietly locking the door behind himself to secure some privacy.

* * *

Ten minutes later, mission accomplished, Will was stripped naked. He'd had a cursory shower and he was now running the two person bathtub full of hot water, feeling shaky and too hot in the steam filling bathroom as he stared down into the steadily rising clear water inside the white tub. Neither of them had packed any unnecessary toiletries like fancy bath products, so there was nothing to add to the water, and besides, Will didn't think that was ideal for what he had in mind.

When the water had filled the tub halfway he leaned over, shaky hand balanced on the lip of the tub and he turned off the flow, leaving the bathroom quiet. He took in a deep breath filled with warm steam to steel his nerves before turning and walking to the bathroom door, which he unlocked quietly, pulling it open just slightly.

The hallway was quiet and Will couldn't hear movement in the apartment, but he needed to locate Hannibal, so he quietly cleared his throat and then called out for the older man,

"Hannibal?" loudly enough to be heard but not actually shouting.

It was barely a few seconds before he heard Hannibal's voice,

"Did you call, Will?" followed by distant footsteps which helped Will ascertain that the Doctor was still in the living room.

He quickly stepped back from the door and swallowed through his sudden lack of breath, and then he said loudly enough to be heard again,

"Yeah, I wanted to…uh…" he cursed under his breath and then tried again, more confidently, "…if you're done, and if you wanted, you could, uh, join m-me?" the crack in his voice at the end couldn't really be helped, he felt like he was going to die of embarrassment. He didn't know why though, because he knew Hannibal would not for a second think anything bad about what he was planning.

He didn't wait for Hannibal's answer though, instead he left the door just that little bit open and quickly crossed the bathroom back to the tub, and because he was still completely naked and damp from his shower, he stepped into the bathtub without hesitation, stifling a hiss at the hot temperature of the water as he sunk to sit down on one end in a nervously panicked hurry.

He was glad that he'd rushed though, because it was just a second after he sat down –the water still rippling from his disturbance of it- when Hannibal was at the door, his hand curling around the edge as he pushed it open and his eyes fell on Will, his gaze coloured with curious confusion, anticipation and wonder.

Hannibal stepped inside and Will smiled at him, not as flirtatious or confident as he would have liked now that he was low-key freaking out, but it was still a warm, soft smile, which Hannibal returned with crinkling eyes and an audibly pleased exhale,

"Are you quite sure?" he asked in that careful way of his and Will nodded immediately, not letting his nerves hinder him,

"Wouldn't have suggested it otherwise." he responded as quietly as Hannibal had spoken, leaning back on his end of the tub but still self-consciously hunching forward, legs half drawn up and his hands held together between his legs under the water.

Hannibal's smile became a bit toothy then and he nodded,

"Then I would absolutely love to join you." stepping inside the bathroom proper and closing the door behind him. He'd removed his suit jacket at some point before and as he began to unbutton the cuffs of his shirt he glanced around, easily locating the somewhat neatly folded pile of Will's own suit. "I have seen to Francesca, she is settled in the living room." he informed and Will smiled gratefully at him, not allowing himself to turn away from watching as Hannibal undressed himself, folding his suit pieces much neater than Will had and placing them on top of his own on the counter.

When Hannibal dropped his underwear Will had to fight the urge to look away, because bashfulness and avoidance had no place in their relationship; there was no reason whatsoever for him to look away. So he made sure that he didn't, instead he kept his eyes on Hannibal all the while, watching as the older man dropped his underwear into their temporary hamper and he approached the bathtub, stark naked and ever confident. Hannibal stepped into the water, turning to face Will and then sitting down opposite him, just as they'd done the last time. The width of the bathtub was wider though, so while their legs were more or less in the same position as they'd been last time, there was more room to move.

The water level rose to just below their shoulders with both of them settled and if Hannibal found the water temperature to be as skin singeing as Will did, he didn't show it. They sat for a while in silence, Will feeling hot and damp and lethargic and nervous, aware of every slight place their legs touched as he watched Hannibal take in a deep relaxed breath before bringing his wet hands up to smooth back through his hair, making it look slick and highlighting his angular features, reminding Will of The Doctor Lecter he'd been back in Baltimore.

When Hannibal settled his hands back in the water and opened his eyes, Will didn't avert his own, meeting the older man's gaze and smiling slightly, Hannibal returning the smile. And despite his best efforts to, Will tensed up slightly at the unexpected touch of the Doctor's fingers tracing his ankle under the water. He quickly made himself relax again though, mentally cursing himself for the nerves he still couldn't shake as he determinedly slid his foot closer to Hannibal under the water in wordless encouragement as well as apology.

Hannibal's smile remained soft as his fingers encircled Will's ankle, the older man's thumb caressing inside the dip of smooth flesh between his ankle bone and Achilles tendon; no need for an apology, Hannibal understood his involuntary reaction and wasn't offended by it. Will still had his hands pressed together beneath the water, and he was trying to think of a way to move the situation forward to where he wanted it, where he'd planned for it to go, when Hannibal broke the silence first,

"Aside from the obvious, did you find the evening enjoyable?"

He was still hunched in on himself and leaning back against the tub when he raised his eyebrows and nodded in response,

"Yeah, it was nice." he answered, looking over the well postured yet relaxed recline of the older man, unconsciously thinking of how open and inviting Hannibal's position made him appear, which brought his attention to his own posture, which probably made him look completely closed off. He took in a quiet deep breath then and shifted, rolling his shoulders back, unclenching his hands and bringing them up to do as Hannibal had, running them back over his steam frizzed curls…and then he intentionally leaned toward Hannibal, the water shifting noisily in the quiet as he drew his legs in,

"What about you? Do you think Elvin and Celine will survive marriage?"

Drawing his legs in caused Hannibal's hand to slip from around his ankle, but it worked to lure the older man into leaning forward as well,

"Perhaps," he smirked, "Elvin is wealthy enough that Celine is quite content to overlook his extracurricular, and soon to be extramarital, activities, so long as she can travel whenever and to wherever she likes, and can make extravagant purchases on the black credit card he's given her." and he sounded quite amused by it. Will smirked too, vaguely amused at first since he was preoccupied with thinking about what move to make next to get Hannibal closer, to get Hannibal to kiss him, but then something about what Hannibal had just said stood out to him and his smirk faded,

"Is she with him for his money?" he asked quietly, now beginning to mull over his expensive clothes, shoes, his car, his small and tasteful collection of jewelry and watches amongst other things that Hannibal had purchased for him over the years, and also over the last few days that they'd been in Stockholm.

Then there was the American Express black credit card imprinted with his fake name on it, that Hannibal had given him about two and a half years ago, which he'd declined to take but Hannibal had insisted he keep just in case and so he had. He'd never used it, unlike Celine probably used hers, but he had it. Hannibal had given it to him, just like Elvin had given one to Celine.

"You would know better than I would, Will." his smirk had faded too, likely because of Will's suddenly somber demeanor, "Did you ever identify such a motive in her?"

Will blinked a few times and shook his head, aiming his less than pleased expression at the surface of the clear water between them,

"I don't recall ever taking enough notice of either of them." he admitted with a sigh, "Even tonight, I didn't let my empathy get ahead of me, I kept it as closed down as possible."

"A wise decision honestly, considering the mess of conflicting and false personalities in attendance." Hannibal assured and Will watched as Hannibal's hand under the water shifted towards one of his own and curled underneath it to hold it, "May I ask what's bothering you all of a sudden?" he sounded tense but resigned, apparently very used to Will's changing moods by now.

But Will quickly looked up at him and shook his head,

"Nothing's bothering me." and it wasn't entirely a lie, but either way, he didn't want Hannibal feeling like he was being emotionally difficult again.

"But something is on your mind." Hannibal stared straight into his eyes and Will only hesitated a moment longer before deciding to just say what he was thinking,

"Yeah, just…" he raised his eyebrows and exhaled softly, "…I assume that people probably think that about me, that I'm just with you because you're rich." and he huffed a laugh, because people had _no_ idea of the truth and they never would, and so they would make the most cliché assumptions based on his and Hannibal's age difference and the fact that Hannibal was a doctor and Will was just his partner.

And while it felt really frustrating to be reduced to such a low status by people who didn't matter, the main detail was just that; they didn't matter. And if their stupid cliché ideas kept them from ever looking too closely at or too deeply into him or Hannibal, then it was for the best. Better to be thought of as a younger man latching onto a wealthy 'sugar daddy', than as fugitive killer irrevocably attached to another fugitive serial killer who also happened to be infamous, most wanted and a cannibal.

Labels were just labels in the end, and some were far safer to bear than others. Will wasn't about to complain.

"Even if they do assume that about you, perhaps it might make you feel better to know that I will be the one they view as pitiful and desperate out of the pair of us." Hannibal sounded even more amused now, as well as a bit wistful too, like he was thinking about something tragic and lovely at the same time.

Will frowned, smiling in confusion,

"I can't even begin to guess how that could be possible." and it was a question, he cocked a curious eyebrow.

Hannibal tilted his head, his lips tilting into a slanted smile at the same time,

"It's more than possible in fact, because each time I'm asked about how we came to be a couple, I tell our acquaintances a tale about my resilient pursuit of your affections," Hannibal lowered his gaze to their joined hands and Will just stared at the top of his head, "about how I didn't relent even in the face of more than one rejection, about how I waited for you to notice me, how I couldn't accept the idea of you not being a part of my world…" Hannibal licked his steam damp lips and raised his eyes again, still smiling, "…the best lies are dappled with truths after all," and then he huffed a laugh and raised an eyebrow, "and it paints a compellingly hopeless romantic picture, a story with a very happy ending for those who inquire."

A tragic and lovely picture. Half lie. Half truth.

Although really, Will liked the idea even less, of them thinking Hannibal was some lonely older man who desperately pursued a younger man, who didn't want him but eventually gave in to him because he's an opportunistic gold digger.

Christ. It was such a terrible viewpoint he could do little else but close his eyes, raise his eyebrows and shake his head with a deep inhale, a subtle physical expression of how fucked up he thought it was.

Hannibal chuckled though, unaffected by people's opinions of them apparently,

"Do not let it bother you, _meilė_. I would see you return to your previously relaxed state." he sounded soft and imploring and hopeful that Will would drop the unpleasant topic.

And he did drop it, because if Hannibal didn't care then he didn't need to either, besides, they were back to Lithuanian terms of endearment and it made Will smile to hear it.

Immediately he went back to considering ways to get Hannibal to kiss him, but then, with their hands still joined, both of them leaning close to one another and Hannibal looking at him so tenderly, it occurred to Will that he didn't need a damn reason. So, holding onto Hannibal's hand beneath the water, he raised his other –fingers dripping and hot- to take a hold of Hannibal's face, drawing the older man forward into a firm kiss.

Hannibal leaned into it, curving his body forward and bending his knees more, just as Will had to do for their mouths to meet, and admittedly it wasn't a very comfortable position to kiss in, but for a short while they exchanged breaths and slow licks into one another's mouths, the kiss gentle and sensual and warm. Will had been focused entirely on their mouths moving together, but when Hannibal's free hand slid lightly up the outside of his calf, he became aware of the rest of his body; skin goose-pimpled, cheeks warm, breathing accelerated, nipples peaked, cock half hard and his groin feeling tense.

He felt in that moment that he was as ready as he would ever be, so he drew back from the kiss and leaned back a little, so there was some space between their faces, his eyes opening slowly and heart beginning to thud loudly in his ears. Hannibal had opened his eyes too and he was looking right at him, so Will cleared his throat and lowered his gaze to the older man's mouth,

"You know…uh, that thing…" he frowned slightly and sniffed, all of the humidity and steam in the air loosening his sinuses, "…that thing you said you wanted." he realized just after he'd finished speaking that he really wasn't being clear enough.

Hannibal didn't press him though, patient as ever, he just hummed softly, acknowledgement in a subtly questioning tone, waiting for Will to elaborate. Will took in an unsteady breath as his ears and face prickled uncomfortably with a flaring blush, but he wasn't going to chicken out,

"That thing you wanted to do with me." Hannibal's attention was already more intense at just those words, Will could feel it even while not making eye contact and he was trying to make himself say what that thing was when Hannibal spoke up,

"I'm afraid you'll need to be more specific, Will, as there is a rather extensive list of things I want to do with you." and Will didn't need to be looking at the Doctor's smiling mouth to have known he was smiling, his voice was all amused fondness.

Will realized then that he shouldn't have said _with me_ , but instead,

" _To me_ …that thing you've been wanting to do…t-to me." he breathed out and immediately the atmosphere shifted from light and sweet to sexually charged, so suddenly and noticeably to Will's empathic reach it made his next breath come short. At least they were on the right track now.

"That list is no less extensive," Hannibal's voice was lower now, accent a little thicker and Will swallowed thickly at his revealing words, "however, I'm not sure what on that list you may or may not be aware of, considering your ability to often know things you've not been strictly made privy to." he added, sounding hopeful, guilty and wary all at once.

And that was true, if Will wanted to, if he had the guts too, he could probably pick out Hannibal's deeper desires in those unguarded moments during which they were intimate; but he didn't want to, so he never had. Instead, he wanted things to move at a pace that he or Hannibal set with consideration of one another, and this was one of those moments. But while the initial idea was not spur of the moment or impulsive, the decision to act on it that night had been made on the spot, so Will had to work up to it.

Now things were in motion and Will was nervous, but not scared, he was going to follow through. He still couldn't bring himself to look at Hannibal yet, so keeping his gaze fixed on the older man's mouth, he slid his free hand from the side of Hannibal's neck so he could awkwardly tap his index finger against the Doctor's kiss reddened lips as he said almost too quietly,

"The one that…you've t-told me about."

Hannibal's lips parted beneath his finger and the man took in a deep, slow breath, his chest expanding, before the same breath was exhaled shakily, hot to cold and unsteady over Will's hand and over his water wet skin ,

"Yes?" Hannibal asked, tone curious and voice strained but quiet, his adam's apple bobbing with an audible swallow.

And that was it, all it would take now was three little words, and Will finally met Hannibal's eyes when he said,

"I want that." his voice sounding scratchy and dry and the nod he attempted was stiff and halting.

Looking straight into Hannibal's face, he was able to see the genuine surprise that flitted over his features before the older man _frowned_ at him, appearing uncertain. Will hadn't expected that and his glass-bottomed confidence seemed entirely too fragile now.

"Will-…" Hannibal began, but just the way his name was said, careful and unsure, made Will's stomach bottom out,

"Never mind if you don't want to." he blurted in a panicked breath, pale now and thinking that maybe Hannibal didn't want to do that right then, maybe he no longer wanted to do it at all. And even though Will logically knew that was not possibly the case, he still felt mortified at having asked for something that he was so personally skeptical about in the first place and then being turned down or put off.

He'd pulled away from Hannibal, sliding backward in the tub but Hannibal didn't allow him to get far,

"Will." both of the older man's hands hooked behind his knees, holding him in place without using any force and Will was hunched in on himself again, arms down by his sides, his hands pressed flat to the bathtub either side of his hips as he pointedly did not make eye contact with Hannibal, "Will, please look at me." Hannibal requested but he just exhaled harshly through his nose, pursed his lips and shook his head.

"Will…" he tried again but Will stubbornly kept his head ducked and then Hannibal sighed, "…I want that very much, you _know_ that I do." and it was no lie, Will did know, and he felt Hannibal's honesty, but Hannibal was hesitating for some reason and that didn't make him feel very good about his whole plan,

"But?" he asked, his tone clipped, and he felt Hannibal's hands hold onto him a little tighter,

"But I need to know that you will still kiss me when it's over."

Hannibal sounded _very_ tense and even a little awkward now, having had to voice that particular concern and Will was shocked by what he'd said as well, immediately raising his head and meeting the older man's eyes with a frown on his face, noting the expression of frustration on Hannibal's face,

"What." he said pointlessly, because he wasn't really asking anything. He'd heard Hannibal loud and clear and he was realizing now that he hadn't even considered that aspect of things, the thought of not being able to, not _wanting_ to, kiss the older man when it was over, hadn't even crossed his mind.

And maybe it should have, considering how often he still felt like he was being held back by his heterosexual hang ups, but the fact was that he obviously wasn't as conflicted as he'd thought, because kissing Hannibal was something he had no intention of _ever_ giving up.

Hannibal sighed softly,

"I'm concerned that-…"

"That's not…no…" Will cut him off, shaking his head and blinking a few times as his frown lifted, an awkward smile pulling at his lips. He decided then to just be straightforward about it, "…Hannibal, I have every intention of kissing you again, every day for the rest of our lives." the tension immediately drained from Hannibal as he smiled and then Will added, "Maybe not directly after, though." with a small huff of laughter, "I mean, that'd be kind of-…ahmm!"

He was cut off by Hannibal leaning in and pulling him forward into a kiss at the same time, Will nearly falling backwards in the water before he caught himself on his hands, breath caught in his chest as he was entirely swept up in the passionate fervor and heated urgency of the older man's hungry, wide, jaw clicking kisses.

It went on for a minute like that, Hannibal generously lavishing his mouth with attention, sucking and tonguing and licking and nibbling and then when he drew back Will was left feeling more than a little dazed, eyes opening slowly and he was breathing heavily, and Hannibal wasn't much better off, his voice breathy when he said,

"Did you want to do it here, in the bath?"

"…" Will couldn't even say yes, Hannibal saying _do it_ kind of threw him off, so he just nodded, wondering how he was going to let Hannibal know he'd prepared for it, made sure everything was clean and…and…oh…

"Shit…" he breathed out just when Hannibal leaned back and suggested he turn around and get up on his knees,

"What's wrong?" Hannibal asked gruffly, pausing with his hands on Will's hips as Will turned over in the sloshing water to get up on his knees in a less than graceful manner. His mind was reeling, because this was _actually_ about to happen, and he answered with a question and a nervous frown,

"Should I have shaved?" sounding as breathy as Hannibal, who steadied Will's hips to assist with his balance as Will leaned his arms on the wide flat side edge of the tub which was built and tiled into the corner wall of the bathroom.

"Not necessary." was all Hannibal said in answer, and Will couldn't help feeling proud of having reduced Hannibal to non-complex responses, even though he was equally dazed..

He was on his knees then, breathing loudly and as balanced as he was going to get in a slippery bathtub with his elbows and forearms on slippery, cold tiles. He choked on a breath when Hannibal's large hands grasped both globes of his ass and spread them wide apart, exposing him very blatantly…and then it all became incredibly **real** , very abruptly.

Will hadn't had the chance to start shaking earnestly before, but he started now, faint tremors running through him, affecting his breathing, making his muscles tense, making his heart thump loudly in his ears, his skin prickle with sweat and heat and his cock become a bit heavier and fuller where it hung between his partially spread legs.

Nothing happened immediately though and Will felt more and more self-conscious the longer he was knelt there with his butt cheeks spread and his asshole completely on display.

Beneath the layers of nerves and uneasiness, Will's subconscious whispered the question, ' _How could he find that attractive, how could he want to-…?'_

"Ah, Hannibal!?" his thoughts were cut off as Hannibal breathed warm air right against his anus and he felt it clench up, his stomach feeling knotted with tension while in his loins he felt a contradicting heavy tug of arousal.

He didn't understand it! Not why Hannibal would want to do it and not why it was turning him on.

And then Will's mouth dropped open and he panted out a shocked gasp, his arms slipping on the tile and knees in the tub when he felt Hannibal kiss him _there_ , shocking him with the wide mouthed, hot and _wet_ kiss which included a definitive swipe of tongue dipping into him just so before ending with a noisy smacking suck.

"Oh my _God_ …" Will breathed out right after the smack and clenched his eyes shut, his body burning hot and all of his senses narrowing acutely to _that_ place that Hannibal had just –for all intents and purposes- French kissed, which now felt warmer and not tingly per se, but alight with unfamiliar sensation.

It was a lot and yet Hannibal had barely done anything, Will felt like his blood was warring for a direction in which to flow.

Then Hannibal was kissing him _there_ again, a tender press of his lips which made Will hold in his shaken breath, before Hannibal's lips parted again and he followed up with another wide mouthed French kiss –swiping tongue dipping into Will lightly- before the kiss ended with a firm suck right over his anus again.

"Fuck _fuckfuck_ …" Will exhaled loudly, voice choked and shaken and then he held his breath because Hannibal did it again, "…aaahfucking…" he clenched his hands, "…christ…." leaning all his weight on his forearms for the next shallow probe of Hannibal's wet, slick and yet firm tongue dipping _inside_ before his lips sucked.

It was _wrong_ , and it was obscene, the sound of it was, but the _feeling_ …Will couldn't name it or describe it, the pleasure of it was so subtle yet not, the feeling of Hannibal's tongue teasing him there proved to be stimulating in a whole new way, providing new sensation to the sensitive nerve riddled pucker that was quite different than he'd felt before; Hannibal's tongue being firm and pressing in, but not the same firm like his fingers or his cock, which created a different experience all together.

"Oh, **fuck** Hanni-bal…" he panted out, hanging his head and moaning softly in surprise and pleasure when Hannibal hummed and sucked a little tighter –louder- at the end of the kisses that followed, using his damp, hot hands to spread Will's ass cheeks wider as he did so. There was blood concentrated more specifically now, and not just in his cock, which was fully hard, but there was also a light pulse around his anus, the throb of which he could feel quite distinctively after every suck when Hannibal's mouth would briefly separate from his skin.

And he had to face the fact that he _liked_ it as he trembled with good feelings, he acknowledged that it felt good, Hannibal's hands spreading him open, his mouth _there_ , the experience as lewdly intimate as he'd thought it would be. Also, he was glad that it didn't feel so dirty because he knew he'd cleaned himself for it, and that made it better too, helped him to relax into it.

He was getting used to it now, the smooth, wet drag of Hannibal's hot lips, the steady shallow poking of Hannibal's slick tongue and noticeable pressure of sucking, and he had just opened his eyes to half-mast, contemplating whether he could maintain his balance so he could stroke his cock to ease the ache in his balls, his thighs and the throb around his asshole, when Hannibal changed it up.

It was as if he'd just been waiting for Will to relax a little more...before he forewent kissing altogether and pressed his tongue _deeper_ inside, firm and pointed and hot and soft and Will felt his anus give easily to the gentle intrusion, his entire body jerking forward in surprise at the delicate penetration, the water sloshing around them as he made a noise of shock,

"Hannibal!" he practically shouted, "You can't do-aahfuh-huck," Hannibal did it again, firmer and deeper but slow and steady, not forceful or rushed, "aaah, Han-uuhgod…nuh…" and again and again, Will's voice quieting to rasps with every stunned noise he made and Hannibal quite happily continued, slowly fucking his tongue into Will and…

…it was **not** okay…right? Hannibal's tongue…like that…inside...

Will's painfully hard cock revealed he felt otherwise, still straining and hard and bobbing, wetter and wetter at the tip.

He shivered bodily, frowning deeply as Hannibal continued, no longer just tongue-fucking, but there were more kisses, more tongue movements too, flat licking and also probing both deep and shallow –Will's breath hitching each time, eyes fluttering. Hannibal even rolled his tongue against him, purposeful as it wriggled into him, making Will shake his head in a sweated, too hot, too overwhelmed daze, highly aware of how his asshole clenched and loosened with several sore swells of arousal around the rim and even inside with each of Hannibal's actions.

His eyes were clenched shut again, his breathing harshly loud and every sense and nerve ending seemed to swim with the new pleasurable sensation. It was not the same kind of intensity as prostate stimulation or masturbation, but intense all on its own; he'd had no idea how the nerve endings in that area could feel when stimulated in such a way, and knowing it was Hannibal who was doing it to him, who was touching him in that new and very private manner just made it both better and _worse_. Because while there was pleasure and arousal, there was also some confusion and embarrassment, as well as some shame and _denial_ , all of it swirling around them in the stifling and enclosed confines of the bathroom, making his head spin. The sounds and feeling of Hannibal panting against his asshole along with the feeling and the very quiet sounds of squelching from his working mouth; sticky spit on flesh, Hannibal's fingers holding him spread open and kneading his buttocks, it felt good but should have felt wrong.

He hadn't expected to like it...and certainly not so much.

He was aware that his legs and arms were shaking worse now, and he was still intermittently shaking his head in a disbelieving daze as well, eyes clenched purposely shut as his facial expression twitched between a deep frown of repudiation and a high arched frown of keening pleasure as he gasped and choked on quiet noises and breaths, his stomach and shoulder muscles tense from contracting so often when the things Hannibal was doing to him felt _particularly_ fucking good.

Then Hannibal drew back all of a sudden and Will was given a moment to take a proper breath when the older man didn't immediately return. He subconsciously closed his gaping mouth, which was surprisingly wet with saliva even after being open for so long, and he had to swallow the excess saliva gathered under his tongue. He didn't know why Hannibal had stopped, but now, with Hannibal's mouth gone there was cool air settling against him _there_ , where he was so hot and throbbing dully from the older man's mouth and his own rushing blood. It felt somehow swollen too, which had Will scraping his teeth over his lower lip with gratification even as he frowned and cringed slightly.

Hannibal's hands were still on him, splayed on either of his ass cheeks, holding him open, and when the older man shifted so his hands were lower on his ass, he spoke after so long,

"Are you alright, Will?" his voice a deeply accented rasp, and Will didn't even know what the answer to that question was, still too dazed and conflicted with contradicting feelings to say anything.

So he didn't answer, he just panted into the cooling air of the bathroom. And maybe he should have made more effort to answer, maybe he should have said _wait_ or _slow down_ or _gimme' a second_ , because when he didn't respond, he felt the older man brush a finger –a thumb?- over his very sensitive anus, and Will had to twitch away for how sensitive he felt. But instead of words, he just managed to make another sound of surprise and then Hannibal let his ass cheeks go and Will almost grimaced at how slick it felt between his buttocks, unnatural, not like sweat or water, thicker and clingier, like lube but tackier.

He took deep breaths as he felt Hannibal's hands skim over the backs of his thighs and up to his waist and he leaned his head down to breathe against his forearms. He was thinking that maybe it was over because of his earlier reaction, and he felt like that was okay. Neither of them had come but that was fine, there would be a next time… because he didn't hate it, so they could do it again, eventually.

He was really enjoying the soothing stroking of Hannibal's hands over his skin now; hips, thighs, flanks, even as his aching cock and asshole took a momentary backseat to his sore knees, cramped clenched fingers and sore shoulders.

But then Hannibal said something that sounded absolutely rich with adoration and Will felt his buttocks spread again under those broad palms, experiencing another full body shiver as Hannibal licked him wetly with a flat tongue, from his tightly drawn ball sac all the way up over his perineum and to his asshole.

" _Christ_ …" Will choked out, clenching his eyes shut again and moaning pitchily when Hannibal pressed the slick muscle right into him again and again and again, the cannibal's mouth covering the area around his asshole like a hot seal as he properly tongue-fucked him.

Will almost sobbed against his arm, his cock bobbing with rushing blood as he leaked fresh pre-come in a clear string onto the surface of the water.

He gasped tightly.

His mind was racing.

How could Hannibal just **do** that with his mouth?

Will knew he'd want it again though.

He wanted to say _stop_ but he also absolutely _did not_ want it to stop.

He hadn't known Hannibal would use his tongue like that when they'd started, how could he kiss him again?

But he _knew_ he would kiss Hannibal again, it didn't matter. It just didn't, it just…

…it just faded into the background as a startled, unrestrained moan left his throat and bounced off the walls when Hannibal's left hand moved lower, his thumb pressing and rubbing against Will's perineum at the same time as the older man's other hand slipped up between his legs and started to pump his cock, and in that position his forearm brushed against Will's balls with every movement. Hannibal's tongue never stopped fucking his asshole either, not for second…in and out and around and in and out and rolling, while Hannibal externally stimulated his prostate and his other hand stroked and stroked and stroked…

Will lost it within a fast minute, coming suddenly and so hard that his entire body twitched and convulsed as he moaned brokenly and stilted, like it hurt him to make a sound. But it **didn't** hurt **at all** , and he could barely think, _'Oh God, I can't…'_ , because it felt so fucking good that his eyes had even opened when his orgasm hit him, only to cross and slide shut again as he was wracked with pleasure inside and out and just _everywhere_ , his breath aching his lungs where it got trapped in his chest.

And Hannibal didn't _stop_ , relentless, he just kept going, prolonging the pleasure on and on until it finally did become uncomfortable. Will made a sound of objection then as he reached back, his balance compromised on one arm as he used his free hand to weakly push at Hannibal's hand on his cock first before reaching back and tangling his fingers as tightly as he could in the older man's hair, shaking his head and breathing in short gulps of air.

His hand grasping Hannibal's hair worked to get the older man to stop, his mouth and hands ceasing their stimulation and being removed from contact on demand. Will made a noise of relief, his body instantly relaxing from the painful pleasure of overstimulation, his legs and arms almost sagging…and it took a few long seconds for him to realize that Hannibal was the only reason he hadn't slipped and sank into the water.

He hadn't realized it because his mind had been in a haze of post-orgasm pleasure, but the older man had eased him backwards to balance some of his weight on his legs and was holding him steady from slipping and likely knocking his face on the side of the tub, since his one balancing arm was shaking and precariously angled on the tiles between the wall and lip of the tub. Hannibal's arm was a firm band across his chest, secure and keeping him up as the older man kneeled behind him, hunching forward to support him as they both breathed loudly.

Will blinked dazedly as everything started to catch up, and distantly he thought that it was probably only because the sex and sensations were all so new to him that it felt so intense to him, and that in time he'd maintain more cognizance during their intimacy, but it still surprised him that he could lose his awareness to that extent. Although, Hannibal had always been the only one to bring him to the very brink...

Will closed his mouth then, newly wet with saliva, and he swallowed thickly, breathing loudly through his nose as he shifted his legs and arms to brace himself and take back his own balance, sitting more upright. Hannibal didn't let him go, his arm pulling Will back to lean against his chest, and Will's skin was so sensitive that the prickle of Hannibal's wet chest hair was more noticeable than usual against his back.

"You're still shaking…" Hannibal said gruffly, and Will opened his eyes a sliver when he heard the disturbance of water and then felt it splash and run over his shoulder and down his arm. He looked sidelong at Hannibal, just about able to see as Hannibal rinsed the outside of his mouth, his lips and chin and cheeks with the bath water, not once but twice; casually done but not without purpose. Will averted his gaze forward again when Hannibal pressed a kiss to his shoulder and then his neck before he asked, "…are you alright?"

The action of Hannibal rinsing his face before kissing his skin was considerate, although Will somehow felt stupid for making Hannibal so worried and self-conscious about him having a bad reaction that the Doctor had felt the need to do it just to kiss his skin. He couldn't do anything about it though, didn't think that saying anything right then would help, so he focused on Hannibal's question instead, and after a few seconds of cataloguing his overall state, Will decided that he was in fact alright. He was okay.

So he nodded.

A deeper truth though, was that he felt even more aware of his body and developing sexuality now than he had before, after that first time they'd had sex, and that made him feel a bit on edge, a bit stunned and confused and not sure what to immediately do with himself. It was just…a lot.

He needed some space and time to sort through the jumble of feelings he was having about what Hannibal had just done to him, and how it had thrown him off his fucking equilibrium and _way_ out of his comfort zone in the best possible way. Absently, it made him wonder if he'd ever even be able to enjoy sex with a woman again after all he'd experienced with Hannibal, and then immediately he felt winded and shocked by his own thoughts and how awful he was to even have had that thought, because Hannibal was it, there would never be another woman, ever...

So why would he even think that!?

He felt very sick all of a sudden, not pleased with himself at all for his chaotic mind and when Hannibal moved to wrap both arms around him, spreading his own legs to bring them closer together with a subtle slosh of water and a squeak of skin on acrylic, Will felt the older man's chest hair prickle more against his skin. He felt the strength of Hannibal's body against and around him and he distinctly felt the hard, hot line of Hannibal's cock against his lower back, and in that moment it was just **too** much.

His senses and emotions were already back flipping and unbalanced, every part of his skin feeling over sensitive and overcharged because he was having trouble settling his mind and feelings, all the while still experiencing residual sexual satisfaction as well as being troubled by self-insecurities at his own betraying thoughts. And on top of all of that, he was irritatingly aware of feeling more than a little ashamed of having just had Hannibal's tongue in his ass and having loved it.

Too fucking much.

He was shaking harder as he leaned forward away from Hannibal who, to his never ending credit as a patient, understanding lover and man, didn't try to hold onto him. He just loosened his arms as Will leaned away and reached out to grasp the edge of the tub,

"I, uh…I just want to lay down, I'm really tired." he said with half formed breaths, not even sure Hannibal heard his hurried words as he stood up as quickly as he could on unsteady legs, quickly moving to lean on the wall and the tubs edge again to help himself not fall when he stepped out with a splash of water on the cold tiles.

One pruney foot and then the second planted safely on the floor and shivering from the cooled bath water, he stepped over to the towel rack and grabbed one of them before wrapping it around his waist as he left the bathroom, not looking back to where he knew a very concerned, hurt and worried Hannibal was still kneeling in the bathtub.

He could easily recall how hard Hannibal's cock had been against his back, blatant evidence that the older man had enjoyed doing that to Will as much as Will had enjoyed having it done. And yet he'd just left the older man like that…selfish as ever...fuck. But he couldn't go back, even as shitty as he felt about just leaving. He needed space right then.

He walked water all through the hallway and once he was in the bedroom he pushed the door closed and leaned against it, hands and forearms flat, supporting his weight as he pressed his forehead to the white wood as well. He took in deep, unsteady breaths through his nose and clenched his teeth as his mind continued to race.

 _'_ _Again, I did it again…_ _ **fuck it**_ _!'_ he berated himself, because it had been his idea for Hannibal to do that, to rim him, it had been his choice, and then in the end, when it had been so much better than he'd ever expected or considered, now he was having trouble taking it all in. Ane worse still, he'd fucking run away from it!

He'd fled, like a selfish asshole coward, when he _knew_ that Hannibal would feel _once again_ like he'd done something wrong, like he'd ruined things between them. He knew Hannibal would worry over what to do next, what he could say or do, or where he could touch, or if he even could. They'd been through that for months!

"I should have…" he muttered to himself and pushed away from the door with a rattling exhale before he chewed his bottom lip and stared at the closed door absently, _'I should have just said that I was feeling a little…a little what? Overwhelmed? UGH!'_ he scoffed to himself and turned away from the door angrily.

"What am I, some kind of blushing fucking virgin?" he whispered to himself, his tone harsh and spitting as he walked into the bedroom and aggressively raided the wardrobe and his suitcase for underwear and sleepwear.

 _'_ _This is what happens when I do impulsive fucking things, I get ahead of myself and then I can't handle it and I fuck up, because I'm shit at articulating and Hannibal won't fucking push me to talk, not like he used to do…'_ he sighed loudly, dropping his towel and roughly pulling on his underwear.

His bottom half had been submerged in the water when Hannibal had pulled him back, so there was nothing but the damp moisture of water between his buttocks now. But still, he felt sensitive and kind of open there too, like he usually did for a while after sex. And for how into it Hannibal had been, Will wondered whether since the older man hadn't shaved earlier that evening before the wedding, he would be chaffed by beard burn. Although he doubted it, recalling how well moisturized and soft Hannibal's facial hair had felt when they'd kissed, and even when Hannibal had kissed him elsewhere...

He blushed from his bare chest to the tips of his ears when the memory of _those_ kisses flashed through his mind, still so fresh, and he placed his hands over his hot, hot face, wheezing out an awkward laugh at himself before pushing his hands up through his damp hair.

"I'm okay." he told himself, because it was true, he felt okay. He obviously wanted to do it again, he'd thoroughly enjoyed it and while the shame of having done so lingered, it wasn't devastating him. No, it was fleeting. He was _fine._ "I'm fine." he nodded to himself and then took a deep breath before continuing to get dressed, pulling his sleep shirt on over his head.

He really was tired though, and even though he knew Hannibal would need an explanation and an apology, Will felt like it was better if he dealt with that a bit later, after he'd slept off a spectacular –three stimuli- orgasm and his head was not so full of cotton. Deciding that, he climbed into bed and switched off the lamp on his side of the bed, closing his eyes immediately and already feeling drowsy, distantly thinking that he would make it up to Hannibal tomorrow, when he apologized. He'd show Hannibal everything was fine.

That sounded like a good idea.

* * *

He was fast asleep whenever it was that Hannibal finally came to bed, he didn't even stir.

* * *

It was raining somewhat heavily and steadily later that day.

They'd only returned from the wedding in the AM and they'd gone to bed a long while after that, so Will ended up waking up at around 2 PM, their final day in Stockholm pretty much wasted, and the weather seemed to add an extra layer of gloom to an already unsettled atmosphere.

 _'_ _My fault.'_ had been Will's first thought when he'd woken up alone in bed, and he'd thought it again after he'd freshened up, dressed warmly and made his way into a quiet kitchen, breakfast pre-prepared and left in the warmer for him. Francesca hadn't even cared that he was awake, and only once he'd carried his plate of breakfast into the lounge/dining room, where she was curled up on the couch beside Hannibal –who was reading on his tablet- did she perk up and then jump off the couch, trotting over to him to say hello.

He petted her just when Hannibal said good morning to him, no inflection in his tone, nothing telling of a good or bad mood, of concern, worry, insult, anger…just nothing. He was completely shut off from Will, and that in and of itself was telling enough. Hannibal was on guard because he'd been hurt and left to wonder after Will's frame of mind again for so many hours. And Hannibal being completely shut down from him was rare and disturbing.

"Good morning," he said back with a bright smile, going for normal, because everything _was_ normal, "what time did you get up?" he followed up with a question, because Hannibal hadn't looked at him yet. And he didn't respond to Will's smile, not the sight of it –because he hadn't looked- but not the sound of it either.

"About 11." Hannibal responded, tapping and swiping something on his iPad, before scrolling slowly.

Will nodded to himself, smile fading as he pulled a chair out and sat down at the corner dining table which was across the room from, but facing, where Hannibal was sitting on the sofa of the Stockholm apartment, and glancing around the space they occupied in tense silence, quite abruptly, Will realized that he just wanted to go home.

He didn't like the living room or the dining table and chairs, he certainly didn't like the furniture and the noise of the city down below. He didn't like the wall colours or the drapes or the fucking flooring.

"Are we leaving tomorrow?" he nearly choked around the question, his throat feeling tight around a lump, feeling somewhat suffocated by how cold the atmosphere was.

He was starting to realize that Hannibal was probably hurt and pissed off by more than just what had happened in the bathroom. The older man was likely upset because Will had told him they were done with all the misunderstandings, miscommunications and the ups and downs, and yet here they were again. And he knew Hannibal was waiting for him to say something, because the older man _never_ broached the subject of any problems between them _ever_. He always left it to Will, because it was always him with the issues.

He was presently poking at the store bought fried bacon on his plate, having only had a forkful of fluffy eggs so far, when he decided that he wasn't even hungry, and that he needed some fresh air. He wished it were easier for him, but despite wanting control over many things, sometimes he knew it would honestly be easier if Hannibal brought things up and confronted issues. Sometimes Will needed a lead, needed the opening, needed something to pin his racing focus on so he could collect and organize his thoughts, so he could say what needed saying.

But the Hannibal who pushed and provoked and manipulated and subverted was no longer a part of their lives, at least where Will was concerned. And Will couldn't bring himself to feel sad at the loss, because if Hannibal were still that way with him, things would have still been very tenuous, bloody and ugly between them.

 _'_ _I just need some air.'_ he stood up from the dining table then, grabbed his plate and walked back through the lounge to the kitchen, Francesca hopping up from where she'd reclined near his feet to follow with a wagging tail.

He tossed his uneaten food in the bin, left the plate, knife and fork in the sink and left the kitchen again, going back to the lounge where he said,

"I'm going out for a while, I feel like taking a walk." his tone pleasant and casual so Hannibal would not think anything further was wrong, because there was nothing wrong! Just an hour, Will just needed some time to think about how to tell Hannibal _'I'm sorry I freaked out again, I honestly liked what we did and I want to do it again in future, please don't be mad or sad, I promise I won't be overdramatic again.'_ without actually saying **any** of that.

His spoken words immediately got Hannibal's attention though, tablet forgotten as the older man turned his head to watch Will walk to the apartment door. Will smiled close-lipped and sweet at him as he took his coat off the rack and proceeded to pull it on.

Hannibal placed the tablet down and stood up,

"You didn't eat." of course he'd noticed that.

Francesca was wagging her tail excitedly next to where Will stood, thinking she was going for a walk too,

"I'm not that hungry, but I will be back before dinner." he adjusted his black coat over his warm beige sweater as he looked down at her, "You can't come, girl, it's raining." he said fondly and smiled when she whined like she understood him, tilting her head and sitting down at his feet. Who knew, maybe she did.

Hannibal had approached, stopping to stand an arm's length away; he looked stressed in the way only Will knew how to notice, but he was doing his usual best not to crowd or push Will,

"Very well, enjoy your walk. I hope you'll return with an appetite." he managed a smile, one of those practiced close lipped ones that used to have Alana and Jack charmed and fooled.

Will wasn't fooled for a second, and he really just wanted Hannibal's real smile.

"I will." he said with a real smile of his own, and while usually he knew Hannibal would lean in for a kiss right about then, he also knew that after last night Hannibal wouldn't do anything remotely physical until Will gave him an opening or go ahead. So, having a plan for a walk, a cup of coffee and some apology think-time, Will felt a little better already and he stepped up, closing the gap between them to press a kiss to Hannibal's lips.

And he was stunned when the tension melted out of Hannibal in an instant, hands coming up to cradle his face as if he were something fragile as the older man made an honest-to-God noise of relief; it was the closest thing to a sob from Hannibal that he'd ever heard. Will was startled into opening his eyes wide at the sound, drawing back from the kiss to look at Hannibal, only to be further stunned to see the older man's eyes still closed, the strain lines around his eyes starker because he was suddenly paler than usual and his breathing was no longer entirely even, coming a little stuck and fast through his nose as he pursed his lips tightly.

Will frowned deeply, stumped and baffled by Hannibal's reaction to just a kiss. They'd had worse misunderstandings in the past and Hannibal had never been this badly affected before. And while he'd always melted into their kisses after Will had run him through the emotional ringer, it was always just a little. Never like this, never with this kind of desperate relief. It made Will worried, it didn't make sense…but then Hannibal slowly unpursed and licked his lips as his eyes opened, as if he were savoring the briefest touch of their lips, and suddenly Will **did** understand, his eyes widening as his mouth fell open. Understanding was followed immediately by feeling absolutely furious with himself, because this time he'd fucked up even worse than he'd thought.

How could he have forgotten Hannibal's biggest concern?

Not wanting anything more to get out of hand or worse, he leaned in, head tipped back, hands grasping Hannibal's upper arms, and he pulled the older man into a proper kiss, once again noticing the deep sigh of relief from Hannibal and then the shaken inhale next when Will parted his lips and licked into Hannibal's warm mouth. Hannibal's hands moved then, lowering to clench into his sweater at his sides beneath the coat as he pulled Will closer and then the older man turned it all the way up, kissing Will into a slightly breathless and over all dizzy-warm state. And when the kiss finally ended after a long while, their open mouths panting softly against one another, Will took a few seconds to open his eyes, pursing his lips to savour the moment as Hannibal had and licking the taste of Hannibal from them with a wet swipe.

Hannibal was staring at him, eyes dark in the overcast light filtering inside and yet bright with solace, and then the taller man encircled his arms around Will's waist and pulled him into a hug. Just that, just a close, comfortable, loving hug, and Will felt that lump return to his throat as he hugged Hannibal around his shoulders and neck.

He couldn't believe Hannibal had honestly thought he wouldn't want to kiss him again.

 _'_ _My fault.'_ he thought again, bitter with himself for his behavior. All Hannibal had endeavored to do since they began their relationship was make him feel as comfortable as possible, while Will had done the opposite of that on too many occasions.

When they pulled back from the hug, things already seeming easier, calmer, settled, Hannibal said,

"Don't worry about Francesca, she will be fine. Perhaps I'll read to her." he half joked, because knowing Hannibal he may actually do that. And Will responded with a grin.

"Right, okay. I won't be long." he stepped back from Hannibal and turned to grab one of the three umbrellas that had already been in a basket by the door; they came stock with the apartment rental apparently. He opened the door before he glanced back, "Should I get anything while I'm out?" he asked, stepping into the open, high ceiling and rather chilly apartment hallway.

"We do not require anything, thank you." Hannibal answered and then seemed to listen to the falling rain, "Perhaps call me if the rain becomes a problem and I'll fetch you."

Will nodded, absently moving his wallet from his coat pocket to his jeans back pocket,

"Good idea. Okay, yeah, I will," he smiled again, this time Hannibal returned it in kind, completely genuine, "I'll see you in a little while."

"Alright. Be careful." he advised and Will nodded over his shoulder as he walked down the hall to the staircase.

He descended the stairs. He heard the door close. He reached the bottom floor. He opened the green and white umbrella. He stepped out into the rain. He started walking. He smiled. His chest felt lighter.

* * *

He did not make it back by dinner time.

* * *

It was nice to walk in the rain, it was nice to walk in Stockholm actually.

The roads between the buildings were narrow and the atmosphere was pleasant, other people walked by with their umbrellas, some hurrying, some strolling. And the smell of the rain in the clean air of Sweden was always lovely. He walked for about an hour, not really able to get lost anymore, even when he wandered so far, since he understood Swedish and he would be able to use his cell phone maps to navigate his way back to where they were staying, so he walked without a thought or a worry, one hand in his deep coat pocket, the other holding up the large umbrella.

The sound of the rain muting most of the city noise was very relaxing.

He decided to stop when he walked by a café located along one of the many narrow roads between buildings, and it looked like it was quiet too. His sense memory triggered the scents of fresh coffee and cake at the sight of the coffee bar and confections counter that he could see inside and it drew him to it, making him think of the smell of Sunday mornings at home, when Hannibal would wake up early and bake something for them, either as breakfast or for after breakfast, and he'd brew coffee too, everything somehow always ready right when Will would wake up.

The thought made him smile, and he continued to smile as he walked across the narrow way to the small coffee shop, a sign hanging on the door reading ' _öppet_ ' in clear bold letters. He paused to shake the umbrella off once he was standing under the green awning outside, closing it and leaning it against the wall beside a few other wet umbrellas as he glanced over all of the outside tables and chairs, which were stacked and put away because of the rain, before he pushed the door open.

He was enveloped by the smell of rich coffee as he closed the door behind him and he glanced around, noticing there were only a few other people sitting at different tables around the small coffee shop, either busy on laptops or on theirs phones, and one man was reading a book. It was a really great and quiet place, the music playing over the speakers was Swedish and the volume was not intrusive and no one even so much as looked at him when he'd stepped inside.

Well, no one except for the barista, who smiled at him as he walked up to the counter, his Chelsea boots tapping on the dark wooden floor of the shop.

"[H](www)allå." the younger man said with a welcoming smile and Will nodded, returning the smile,

"[H](www)allå." he responded, and even though he didn't converse much in Swedish, he'd been using it in his daily outside life for years now and with Hannibal's help he felt like he was quite fluent in it.

"[V](www)ad vill du ha idag?" the pleasant barista asked in the way one does when they think they're talking to a native, and that kind of made Will feel proud, knowing he blended so well.

"[E](www)tt svart kaffe, tack. Americano." he ordered what he usually always did and made sure to use the intonation of Swedish when he pronounced _Americano_ , as he often did as well.

The barista nodded, tapping the order into the touch screen system,

"[S](www)ka du dricka här eller ta med dig?" he asked as he moved around behind the counter.

"[J](www)ag dricker här." Will answered, receiving a quick thumbs up and he smirked to himself, happy about another convincing interaction with a local person. As he slipped his wallet out of his back pocket the barista asked,

"[V](www)ill du ha något mer?"

He thought about it for a second, glancing at all of the confections behind the glass, but then he remembered telling Hannibal he'd bring his appetite home and he smiled and shook his head at the barista,

"[N](www)ej tack."

He received another nod and then the order was finalized and he paid with cash, walking away from the counter afterwards and going over to sit in the back corner by one of the window side tables while the barista set about making the coffee. Will shrugged out of his coat as he looked around the coffee shop, it was overcast outside so the cafés hanging lights were on inside because it was dim, but even with the somber colouring cast by bad weather, the rustic white, washed out walls and brown bricked interior of the shop was still welcoming.

There was some framed photographic art above him on the walls, and just when he was looking up at some of the pictures the barista arrived with his coffee on a tray, setting it down onto the table; a steaming cup of coffee along with a spoon and a small dish filled with various sugar sachets and some serviettes. They shared another smile before the barista walked away again, leaving Will in peace and quiet, the rain falling outside not loud enough to dull the sounds of tapping laptop keys and cell phone tap presses, but he didn't feel bothered by the sounds.

His head felt surprisingly clear as he sat there, sipping on his coffee and watching the rain fall outside, people and the occasional car going by, music that he couldn't hear properly but didn't really need to listen to filling in some excess background noise. And he knew that he'd come out so he'd have some time to think of what to say to explain himself to Hannibal about last night, but when he'd left the apartment everything had already seemed better between them. So maybe there was no need, they would just go forward like normal and Will would keep working on himself and his issues. That sounded like the best course of action, honestly. He took in a deep quiet breath then, feeling whatever tension had been clinging to him ease away before he sipped his coffee again.

* * *

He wasn't sure how long passed by as he sat there, but by the time he decided to look at his cell phone to see the time, the clouds were a darker gray, the rain fell heavier and his coffee was long finished, the shallow remnants of the dark liquid gone cold. Will raised his eyebrows, surprised by how he'd zoned out, and he was just about to check for his cell phone in his coat beside him –since it wasn't in his jeans- when he heard heeled boots loudly come to a sudden halt on the wood flooring in front of him and he _felt_ someone looking at him.

He looked up from what he was doing to see a woman standing a little ways from his table staring at him between black long lashed blinks. She'd obviously been caught in the rain, seeing as how her hair was wet in a few places and there were dark wet patches on the shoulders and other parts of her long cream coloured coat, and she looked cold and shocked, every bit like a well put together, appearance conscious woman unexpectedly caught in an unforgiving downpour.

Of course, none of that explained why she was standing and staring at him. He arched an eyebrow at her in question of her staring and then suddenly her wide clear blue eyes were blinking faster, colour returning to her face as she smiled nervously with dark painted lips, her straight teeth bright white in contrast and her smile unsurprisingly pretty. She was pretty, beautiful actually, and she looked flustered at the sight of Will.

"I am sorry, so rude that I am I staring at you." she laughed self-consciously, placing a manicured hand on her green turtle-neck covered collar bone. She was speaking in thickly accented English and Will blinked at the sound of it, because she was obviously French, her accent was very distinct.

"[K](www)an du förstå?" he tested, wanting to gauge her language limits, and when she just blinked and shook her head –taking steps closer to where he was sitting-, Will knew that she didn't understand Swedish.

"I don't speak Swedish." she informed, almost like this shouldn't have been news to him based on her accent, and well, maybe it shouldn't have been. "Can I join?" she went on, not asking if he understood her when she spoke again in English and didn't wait for an answer before she sat down _right beside_ him on the cushioned seat that ran along the café wall.

Will raised both eyebrows at her forwardness, but then he remembered that French girls were not unlike American women, very western, very confident, very straightforward and empowered, and being as attractive as this woman was, Will supposed she often got away with being the one to make a move.

No doubt too, that she was making a move. He confirmed that by meeting her bright blue eyes when she was sitting less than a foot from him...and immediately he knew what she wanted, he knew her intentions.

She was bold and sure of herself too, more than just simply confident, and entirely secure in pursuing it. She easily made herself comfortable beside him, placing her handbag on the table before removing her coat while remaining seated, causing her to lean into him –arching her back which pushed her breasts out- as she shrugged her coat off her shoulders. And she continued to talk in reasonably good English to him, explaining that her umbrella had broken when the wind had caught it and she'd had to run into the cafe, all this said while she tended to her no longer neatly styled strawberry blonde hair, pulling it up to the top of her head with practiced ease; taking the messy hair away from her shoulders into a knot like bun, leaving some to fall around her delicate features.

A woman fully aware of how attractive she was, to be sure.

When Will still hadn't said anything she laughed with feigned self-consciousness again –this woman did not feel self-conscious in the least- and very boldly leaned even closer,

"Bad manners again, not telling my name," a pause and coy tilt of her head, "I am Catherine." she smiled more personally now and touched his forearm where it was placed on the table as she crossed her legs under the table toward him and none too subtly swayed it so that her calf brushed his shin through their clothes.

It was too easy...but then Will supposed that was point, no point beating around the bush to get what she wanted.

He took a moment to think about the situation he was in, looking straight into her pretty eyes, smelling her floral perfume, feeling her leg brushing against his as she purposely swung it lightly.

"Hello, Catherine." he smiled at her, decision made, twinges of anticipation and eagerness beginning to flow inside his veins as her smile turned victoriously sexy, "Mark." he offered an entirely fake name, not even his I.D fake name, but one randomly chosen on the spot.

"Mark," she said slowly and honey sweet, "I know I am…abrupt," she seemed to have to think of a word for her forwardness, "but I have been in Sweden for two weeks," she said, her voice richer now, lower, very inviting and Will responded to it by sitting back and turning just a bit to face her, giving her more attention, because that was how this was supposed to go, he had to show his interest. And she immediately leaned back as well and scooted closer on the seat so their shoulders were touching, "and you are so handsome, most handsome I've seen," she batted her lashes, "I was surprised. Good surprised, of you sitting here." she giggled then and pursed her shapely lips, drawing Will's attention to them when she un-pursed them again slowly.

Just as Hannibal had done earlier, mind you.

He blinked the thought away, his attention mostly on her, but also on their surroundings; aware that the one other customer in the shop that he could see was making a point of not looking at them or eavesdropping on what was being said, despite the café being quiet and confident-Catherine not being particularly quiet when she spoke. And then they heard the café door open and close, Catherine looking over as someone else stopped at the counter to order something, speaking to the barista in Swedish. Will glanced too, but only that, returning his gaze to look over her side profile; her big eyes, small beauty spots on her clear skin, an upturned, pointy nose, her hair wavy soft where it fell loose around her ears. _So_ _delicate_.

So easy too. Fell right into his lap. She was almost literally in his lap actually.

Hannibal popped into his mind again, apropos of nothing, followed by recalling his aborted search for his cell phone, but Catherine turned to look at him again and he refocused his attention on her, seeing a gleaming determination in her eyes now when she lowered her eyelids and her voice too, to sultry levels, when she said,

"I like you." and yep, that was her slender hand settled rather high on his upper thigh and she was all the way in his space now, dark lips brushing against his ear when she asked, "Do you like me?" sliding her hand up just a little higher, now very close to ground zero. She drew back next, but not far away and not removing her hand and Will gave away part of his cover when he said,

"How could I not?" his accent plainly American, and she grinned, biting her bottom lip.

She was pleased with herself.

Out of the corner of his eye Will saw the barista coming over, the younger man faltering in his steps when he saw the customer he hadn't attended to when she first hurried in, now very obviously occupied. It was his job though, so he came over anyway, casting a somewhat amused and impressed look at Will as he came to stop at their table, asking in Swedish if they wanted to order anything.

She didn't even look at the barista, rude and dismissive as she removed her hand from Will's thigh and sought out his wrist on the table top, and then as she stood up, firmly took a hold of his hand and urged him to get up as well. So that was that, she was done wasting time and that suited Will just fine considering he had to be home before dinner.

He got up without hesitating, grabbing his coat as he did so and was courteous enough to apologize and bid the barista a polite goodbye as Catherine quite nearly dragged him out of the shop, the other customer in the shop still making a point of ignoring them. Once outside in the falling rain and slight wind, they stopped under the awning to pull on their coats, Will noticing a broken umbrella fallen over, obviously Catherine's, beside his own umbrella and another one set against the wall.

Once their coats were on Will picked up his umbrella and Catherine smiled, immediately hooking her arm into his, her little handbag tucked under her other arm, as he opened the umbrella over them, and then they were walking out into the pouring rain, his boots, her heels and the bottoms of their pants getting wet as they walked quickly onto the sidewalk. The rain was keeping more people inside as it continued to fall and they walked along almost completely empty sidewalks.

"My place." Catherine said into his ear after a short while, pressing her body against his side, "Not far."

And it wasn't.

* * *

A ten minute brisk walk and they got out of the rain. Her place was also a set of apartments –which were more affordable and comfortable for long term stays-, and while these apartments were smaller and not as luxury as his and Hannibal's, it was still nice enough and much closer than the apartment that he and Hannibal were staying in.

They made it into her first floor apartment as quickly as possible, the door shutting with a loud click in the quiet. He'd set the dripping, closed umbrella down on the floor and was peering into the small apartment from where he stood near the door, seeing a living room and small open plan kitchen and a doorway, when suddenly Catherine was in front of him, purse, coat and heels already gone and she proved just how serious she was about this thing when she grabbed his coat lapels and yanked him down into a kiss.

That was unexpected.

She drew back from the sudden kiss and grinned up at him as she pushed his coat off his shoulders roughly, leaving it caught there for Will to deal with as she turned her attention to the buckle of his belt, unfastening it as she tugged him further into the apartment toward the open bedroom door. Going with it, Will shrugged his coat off completely, glancing back to the strewn mess of her coat and shoes and opened purse lying on the floor by the door and then he refocused on her as she roughly whipped his belt out of his pants like she had some experience with doing so.

Maybe she did. Maybe she was the kinky, rough sort and she hoped to restrain him with it.

Abruptly she stepped in close and was kissing him again and pushing his sweater and shirt up his torso at the same time. His sweater came off, leaving him in his disheveled long sleeve black Henley, and he dropped the sweater on the floor just when she left off again from trying to undress him so she could pull her turtleneck off over her head in one fluid movement. And it was a sight Will hadn't seen in a long time, a half-naked woman; she was wearing a see-through lace bra, her nipples plainly visible, her body all slight, soft and nicely curved, her pants low on her slim waist, hair loose and soft, full breasts rising and falling with each deep breath she took.

She smiled at him, sexy, excited and appealing and everything a man could want.

She was so close too, that she simply leaned forward and she was pressed against him, chest to chest.

There was no chest hair and firm hard muscle…just soft lace covered breasts and peaked nipples. Will raised his eyes slowly from her chest to her eyes and she moved in again, hands in his hair, pulling him down into another kiss, one that was less introductory and more exploratory, her tongue finding its way into his mouth as she pressed their bodies flush against one another.

She moaned into his mouth before ending the kiss, stepping backwards and to the side, Will watching her, eyes tracking her movements as she reached a hand up to loosen her bun, her hair falling down to frame her face. She giggled. She was really so pleased with herself.

"Get comfortable," she winked, "I just need a few minutes to, how they say, freshen up." and Will had expected she would say that exact thing as he watched her turn toward the en-suite bathroom –and that too was expected- ,"you know how girls are." she giggled again, and then she disappeared into the bathroom and _of course_ she closed the door.

Too easy. Too obvious.

Will blinked his gaze away from the bathroom door and closed his eyes, counting the steady thumps of his heart beat for a few seconds before he tipped his head from side to side, achieving a satisfying pop. Then he opened his eyes again and turned, walking to the bathroom door.

He didn't hesitate to open it, pushing it almost gently despite his movements being quick, and when _Catherine_ spun around with panic in her eyes and likely some useless explanation for the cell phone in her hand on the tip of her tongue, he moved with leonine grace, which came with the experience he'd gained over the years, crossing the small space between them and grabbing her. He grabbed the arm of the hand holding the cell phone and yanked her around by it, whipping her harshly off balance, the cell phone falling from her grasp, and pulling her arm up painfully high and at an angle behind her back, before easily getting her into a headlock with his other arm and cutting off her air supply, as well as her ability to shout or scream.

He didn't want to leave a mark on her after all, no matter how badly he felt like strangling the life out of her.

The cell phone had clattered to the floor, and while it wasn't what Will had expected to find in her hand, it was significant all the same; just who had she been contacting? He needed to get a clearer picture of her design so he wouldn't kill her yet, instead he held her fast as she groaned in airless pain and struggled weakly against him.

Oh yes, just as delicate as he'd imagined, no fight in this one. But then, he hadn't expected there to be.

Just like Freddie Lounds, weak and frail physically but otherwise bold and self-assured…and slutty too. But Freddie hadn't been quite as bad as this one who, it seemed, had been absolutely willing to fuck a known killer to get what she wanted. He waited until her weak struggles eased and when she became unconscious deadweight that he had to hold up, he released the choke hold and her arm, with a possibly dislocated shoulder, before lowering her none too gently to the cold bathroom floor.

Once she was down, he remained on his knees and scanned the floor for the cell phone and when he spotted it, in easy reach just a foot away, he leaned over and picked it up. The cell phone was an expensive smartphone and the screen was slightly cracked from the fall, but it was still working and Will frowned as he looked at a plain black website page that was loaded; a page with only two selection boxes that were filled in with clear bold black font. The top box had **WG** selected, and Will frowned as he tapped to drop the box down, seeing that the only other option to select was **HL**. He blinked a few times as understanding of the website dawned on him,

 _'_ _A reward site.'_ he thought distantly, and then he looked to the box below, which was also a drop down in which the selection chosen was **ALIVE**. He didn't even need to drop it down to know the other option would be **DEAD** , but he did anyway and he clenched his jaw in anger when he saw that he was right.

 _'_ _What a quaint fucking website.'_ he sneered mentally.

He scrolled down the page a bit further and frowned deeply when he saw that just below the selection boxes was the text:

 _Please enable your GPS and click_ **CONFIRM** _to send us your exact location_

Will scoffed, anger mounting even as he felt relieved when he saw that she hadn't completed the process because he had stopped her. He had intended to stop her, dammit! But he was still frowning because he'd expected to walk into the bathroom to find her with a pocket pistol, a Taser or even a fucking knife. Maybe even preparing a god damned syringe full of a sedative. But not filling in boxes on a _website_ to turn him in for a reward. Fuck!

Will clenched his eyes shut and took a moment to reconsider what he knew, or thought he knew, about everything that had just happened;

She had known who he was the moment she stopped dead in the coffee shop, looking pale from shock of recognition and not from being caught in the rain. She'd _known_ he was American, that's why she was stupid enough to persist speaking in English to him without even asking if he understood. Her method of getting him out of public was blatant but passable to an average person, coming on to him so forwardly, but with the hidden motive of wanting to lure him away, out of public. She'd known better than to try to lay low and follow him from the shop because he would have noticed that easily. Skip forward to inside the apartment, he'd seen her purse left open on the floor and he'd known she'd retrieved something from it, he'd expected a weapon or a drug…but that's where, it seemed, his assumptions and expectations had stopped being correct and everything became mixed up.

Because she hadn't locked the door to trap him or pulled a gun on him to get him to cooperate with her, instead she'd just snuck her damn cell phone out of her bag. He'd expected that the moment they were alone she would have dropped the act, her overconfidence had led him to believe that he'd been spotted by someone _professional_ in some way; a crooked cop like Pazzi, or a fucking bounty hunter even -and by really shitty coincidence too- because nothing else made sense. Why the hell else would she have been so sure of herself being alone with him?

That's why he'd been so confused when instead of attacking him she'd kissed him, and then she'd started getting him undressed. He'd rethought it then, assumed that she wanted him vulnerable, stripped down naked while she was clothed, a typical disarming tactic to gain advantage. Hell, even her actions with his belt made him assume she had plans to attempt some sort of restraint, but then _she'd_ started getting undressed too. Once again, he'd reconsidered, assumed she was aiming for distraction, even though that had been a weak gambit on her part, attempting to keep his attention on her top half because she'd had what he thought was a weapon, but was just a phone, hidden on her lower body. She'd actually been pretty quick about hiding it mind you, in the few seconds he'd taken his eyes off of her in the hall, but that was about as impressive as she got apparently.

He sighed irritably through his nose as he got to his feet, pausing to glare down at her pathetic form, her fiction crime novel intentions starting to make absolute sense now.

He'd been reassessing her possible design each time her actions had deviated from what he'd expected leading up to the present moment, and each time she'd done something senseless he'd overthought it. Right up until he'd known that she would excuse herself to the bathroom, knowing that whatever she'd concealed on her person she wanted to surprise him with it when she stepped out of the bathroom...he wondered now, insulted and incredulous, whether she'd thought that maybe he'd have stripped down naked in expectation of sex.

Like some eager twat in a fucking cheap daytime drama miniseries? Seriously.

It really was clearer now.

In the end, Will had completely, ridiculously fucking _overestimated_ her.

"Or maybe I'm just really rusty at reading people after not doing this empathy shit for so many years." he grumbled to himself, eyebrow lazily arched.

With another sigh, he gave it one more shot,

 _'_ _She said she's been in Sweden for two weeks,'_ so, that had not been a lie, and her apartment looked virtually unlived in, _'she must travel for work.'_ he sifted through all the information he had for a silent minute and then shook his head as his frown lifted with realization, _'It was just fucking luck for her. She felt like she got lucky when she recognized me.'_ he scoffed, pressing his fingers into his eyes as he sighed again, _'Her design was no design at all, she was taking a fucking chance.'_ he frowned again, irritably stressed now as he looked down at her unconscious form, feeling quite insulted. _'What was she hoping would happen? She'd alert some fucking reward organization, we'd fuck and then what…would she ask me to stay so I fall asleep? How did she intend to keep me here while she waited for them to show up?'_ he almost burst out laughing at the idiocy of it all.

She clearly had no idea _who_ and _what_ he really was; people always thought Hannibal was the only dangerous one.

For his part though, it could have been that he hadn't been able to read her properly because she herself hadn't figured out what she was going to do with him. She obviously knew of the massive unlawful rewards several organizations had placed on Hannibal Lecter's head should he be found alive, and the lesser ones offered for him, and when she saw him she must have just seen dollar signs. It astonished him that someone could be so fucking stupid. Here was Will thinking he couldn't let her out of his sight once she'd recognized him in the café because it'd be downhill for him and Hannibal from there, but in reality, her intentions hadn't even warranted concern as far as he could tell.

She obviously considered herself an incredible lay too if she thought Will would just pass out after sleeping with her. He actually rolled his eyes at that, and then he looked at the cracked cell phone screen again, closing the website before turning to leave the bathroom with the phone in hand. He left the unconscious 'Catherine' lying on the floor, intending to locate his cell phone which, he was beginning to suspect, he'd possibly forgotten at the apartment, so that he could send Hannibal a message. He also wanted to search the woman's purse and the room for some identification, and _maybe_ even weapons, while he figured out what to do with her.

 _'_ _Honestly, if she actually gave me her real name…'_ he was shaking his head as he came out of the bathroom, disbelieving of her stupidity, and as he rounded the corner to exit the bedroom, **Hannibal was walking into it** …

...Will didn't even have a chance to be surprised by the older man's sudden appearance before Hannibal's hand was latched around his throat and he was partially lifted off the ground, being slammed forcefully against the nearest wall a second later, so hard that pain shot up his spine, through his shoulders and into his skull on impact. And **fuck** , Hannibal's grip on his throat was like solid steel, his other hand almost tenderly sliding into Will's hair before gripping sorely tight while the older man's equally solid body weight pressed him into the wall, rendering him totally disarmed.

"Han-uh…stoh-p!" Will barely managed to choke out, dropping the phone in his hand as he roughly grabbed handfuls of Hannibal's coat on his shoulders in an attempt to push him off, standing only on the balls of his booted feet. But he was not fighting the older man, because regardless of the reason Hannibal had followed him, whatever he'd no doubt seen walking from the entrance of the apartment to bedroom, i.e; a trail of strewn mixed clothing, it gave Will a pretty fucking clear idea of what Hannibal was thinking, of why he was presently attempting to choke the life out of him.

At least though, having been very well trained by Hannibal over the years, he knew specifically not to panic, to keep his head as clear as possible and to stay calm, even as his brain's panic center lit up in survival mode. No, he knew that wouldn't help him, so he didn't thrash or struggle, despite being unable to take a breath, despite his veins starting to strain and thrum at his temples and in his neck, his skin becoming unnaturally tight as his face began to feel like it was swelling rapidly, the pain of no air and Hannibal's fingers around his neck beginning to seep in when the fleeting burst of shock-adrenaline faded.

He clenched his eyes shut as he catalogued the situation as quickly as he could, noting that Hannibal was barely breathing, not making a sound, seething quiet...but Will also noted that he was not in the crushed throat, ruptured carotids, or hard and fast stroke inducing strangulation kind of danger. Yes, Will had seen how strangulation could go under Hannibal's hands, and that helped him gauge the time severity of the situation before he opened his burning eyes again and looked directly into Hannibal's dead black gaze, almost like a lizard or shark if not for the slight whites of his eyes, and knew for certain that this particular strangulation by Hannibal Lecter was intended to be _fucking slow_.

Shit shit shit.

 _'_ _Don't panic…'_ he reminded himself as his knuckles turned a bloodless white where his fists gripped Hannibal's coat and shoulders. It was hard not to though, because even with his brain gradually starving for oxygen he could plainly see that Hannibal was **furious, betrayed...and so, so hurt** and Will could feel it all too. Hannibal was understandably misunderstanding what he'd seen and it had flipped that dusty, dark 'kill Will Graham' switch.

Will knew had to flip it back, and fast.

He shook his head as much as he could in the older man's grip, unable to even so much as gasp properly with Hannibal's hand choking him, and then things took a turn for the worst when Hannibal's black eyes dropped, gaze zoning in on his mouth just before the man leaned in closer and _sniffed_ him. Will actually did panic then, uneven heart rate ramping up in his aching chest, eyes widening and body jerking when Hannibal's grip tightened and his other hand released Will's hair to join the one clutching at his throat.

 _'_ _Oh fuck!_ _ **Fuck!**_ _'_ Hannibal would definitely fucking **kill** him for what he'd know he was smelling!

He needed to explain the situation before this ended very badly!

Survival mode kicking into gear since death was imminent -with Hannibal's facial expression actually looking _fractured_ now as he realized what he smelled on Will's face- Will did the only thing he could think of that would not incite further physical-force violence, because Will didn't think he'd stand a chance fighting Hannibal in the black state that he was currently in; he used Hannibal's grip on him and the wall for leverage to bring his legs up, wrapping them firmly around Hannibal's thighs. And since Hannibal was partially holding his entire weight up and because his own hands were unrestrained, Will used them to push himself forcefully away from the wall while twisting his legs to dislodge Hannibal's balance.

The weight of both of them was predictably too unbalanced for Hannibal to hold them up properly and as Will expected, the improvised take down worked and Hannibal stumbled backward, pulling him away from the wall as he went. Hannibal expression remained stoically cold and his grip on Will's throat barely lessened, but Will used the overbalance of weight to his advantage, dropping his legs from Hannibal's waist so his feet were on the ground at the same time as he threw his weight behind shoving Hannibal backwards away from him by his shoulders with the aggressive force of his whole body.

The rush of force behind it successfully separated them and it almost put Hannibal on his ass, the older man unable to stop himself from losing his footing. Of course, Will had barely swallowed a breath into his aching lungs before Hannibal was properly on his feet again, but the maneuver had put just enough space between them for Will to gasp out,

"Look!" pointing at the bathroom door as he practically fell backwards to lean his weight against the wall again, all the while coughing out every breath he tried to take in, his throat burning, muscles aching, body sluggish and heartbeat thudding harshly, the arrhythmia easing as his heart began to pump blood and oxygen unhindered once again.

Hannibal's expression was still stone cold and plainly suffused with fury, his eyes so dark…but he stopped, he didn't come forward, didn't lunge, pausing now as he watched Will coughing violently, unsteady and touching his bruised throat, the older man registering the physical harm he'd caused. And for a moment, for a split second, Will sensed his emotional pain and confusion and sadness, actually heard when Hannibal inhaled deeply through his nose after so long of inhumanly not breathing. Then, almost as if it had been a glitch, Hannibal turned his attention to the en-suite and the wisps of softer emotion etched into his face were lost to his merciless rage again.

The Doctor went for the bathroom door, stalking not unlike Will used to envision the Wendigo version of Hannibal would when his mind had been on fire. Hannibal's posture and movements were usually so controlled and even, but now he seemed to be infused with something dark and other. Will closed his eyes and inhaled deeply when Hannibal disappeared inside, imagining a heavy rack of antlers tipping Hannibal's head forward slightly, large elongated claws making his arms hang heavy at his sides, and longer, hoof footed legs clopping dully on the bathroom tiles…he swallowed painfully, shaking his head to empty it of such fanciful nonsense, thinking tiredly, _'Should have snapped her fucking neck the second she closed the damn door.'_ as he brought a shaking hand up to rub over his dry, strain chapped lips.

Stupid, _stupid_ mistake; he'd thought it mattered who she was, he'd thought it mattered who had been trying to lure him into capture and danger, thought it mattered who might try to use him to get to Hannibal, but he'd been wrong. She was just a money hungry parasite who thought she'd lucked out and was willing to fuck a serial killer if it meant she'd be an instant millionaire. Will slid down to crouch with his back against the wall, wondering whether there was any chance for him and Hannibal of coming back from this incredible fuck up, how could he make this rig…

He looked to the bathroom door at the loud sound of _Catherine_ groaning in pain, but it only lasted for a brief moment before a choking gasping sound followed, and then Will started very slightly, a bit on edge, when the bathroom door banged wide open and Hannibal came out dragging a barely conscious _Catherine_ , who was weakly trying to lift a hand to her face, by a handful of the length of hair, out into the bedroom like she weighed nothing.

He was actually surprised Hannibal hadn't just snapped her neck, but then, that would be too merciful he supposed.

Hannibal dropped her half-limp weight so that she was lying at his feet where he stood next to the bed, her hair a tangled mess –no longer any kind of sexy. She was regaining awareness slowly, sob-gasping and touching her throat with a quaking hand as she pushed herself up on one arm until she was partially sitting up, still clearly dizzy. Will swallowed again, very sorely, and hesitantly tracked his eyes up to look at Hannibal –who was now wearing his black leather driving gloves-, and Will's breath got stuck in his throat at the returned dead blackness in the cannibal's eyes. Several tense seconds of silence passed _,_ Hannibal staring at him coldly, not speaking, and Will knew he had to open his mouth and start speaking, because Hannibal wanted an explanation.

Although, while Will felt wary of Hannibal right then, he didn't feel afraid, which probably meant his self-preservation wasn't properly functional. All the same, he would endeavor to tread carefully with his words, as the older man deserved a proper explanation.

It was going to be difficult as hell with his throat fucking aching, but oh well,

"She was going…to…" he coughed, his voice barely a rasp, not hardly above a strained whisper and he grimaced at the swollen, raw pain it caused, but forced himself to talk through it as best he could, "…contact bounty hunters, she recognized me." he sneered then, cutting his eyes to the woman, who finally seemed to have become aware of the situation she was in and with wide, bloodshot watery eyes she looked from Will up to Hannibal standing over her…and then her panic and fear became palpable, her trembling increasing noticeably. But before she could even attempt to scream or scramble away, Will watched as Hannibal looked down at her with a lizard blink, and then viper quick, but oh so solidly, he leaned over and _punched_ her right in her face.

It dropped her effortlessly back down, her head bouncing none too gently against the wooden floor with an audible thud, hair messily covering most of her face as she made a sound that barely qualified as a groan, which was further muffled by the floor and followed by another sound only just identifiable as a sob. Will watched this happen with a blank expression, unaffected and entirely unsurprised by seeing Hannibal so brutally hit a woman, because after all, Hannibal was capable of it when provoked, rare though it was. He'd struck Merissa Shure when he'd been playing copycat, and from what Will understood, it had been just because of the way she'd talked to him or the way she'd spoken in general. Overall though, their victims were hardly ever female, because generally women couldn't help being polite and sweet when faced with Hannibal's disarming charm, so it was rare that they made it onto his 'rude' list, but it did happen. There had been female victims over the years; some rude and too indecent for Hannibal to tolerate, but most of them were negligent mothers, malicious offenders of their families or the general public, and the occasional animal abuser...Will's choices.

With regards to _Catherine_ however, no explanation was required for why she'd just been slugged. Hannibal was furious on a personal level, and as a sadist her pain was a good balm for his rage. He still seemed very _other_ though; the dark specter version of Hannibal Lecter that Will knew so well. He'd been staring at Hannibal as the man stood up straight again, but he glanced down at _Catherine_ when she shifted weakly to lay on her side, she was sobbing incoherently now, sounding more like she was choking, eyes half shut and dazed as blood dribbled from her mouth and smeared over her chin; she probably had a tooth loose and a few cracked after that punch.

The sight of her bleeding pleased him immensely, making his lips twitch up into a slight smile. He'd been planning to kill her himself once he'd figured out how to deal with the whole thing as cleanly as possible...

He disregarded her again, his smile falling away when Hannibal crouched down over her with steady, easy grace so that they were eye level across the short distance, and Will looked right into his dark eyes after a slow blink, watching the older man's throat work before he hissed out,

"You kissed her." his voice so tight and whisper quiet that Will felt his own throat tighten up from the blatant outflow of fury radiating off of Hannibal. Will was shaking his head very quickly, even as he rasped out,

"She kissed me, but…it was…" his mouth flapped open and closed uselessly for a moment, not daring to try deny responsibility. And then he sighed, because while he couldn't exactly explain the whole thing in one sentence, he had to start somewhere, so he admitted, "…I let her, yes."

"You let her." Hannibal repeated, voice still a whispering hiss and he did not sound amused _at all_.

Will's wariness of Hannibal ramped up a little at his sibilated tone of voice, spoken with words that sounded like a warning not to lie to him, and yeah, he wasn't afraid of Hannibal, but a part of him knew he really should be,

"I didn't know her end game," it hurt to talk and Will's throat was sorely grating but he forced the words out as he gestured at her sobbing, pathetic form on the floor, "I couldn't see her design, what she was going to do, I just knew I couldn't-…" a short tight cough, "…let her out of my sight."

Hannibal stared, crouched so still and as lifeless as a fucking statue, eyes unblinkingly settled on Will.

Will swallowed, grimaced and –despite a lack of articulation always being his biggest pain in the ass- he did his best to explain,

"I was in a coffee shop," he paced himself, his voice scratchy and tender but just audible, "she saw me, _knew_ me and her tactic was to come on to me. I knew it was a coincidence, but her…" he swallowed a cough and made sure not to break eye contact with Hannibal because through that the man would know he was telling the truth and Will was counting on it, "…she was so transparent about it, so confident, I was expecting to get back here and be attacked or threatened by a professional, and I had," he paused to clear his throat, beginning to get angry at himself again for his own overestimation, "had planned for that, but she…" he sighed and leaned his head back against the wall, severing eye contact now when he closed his eyes, "…she was just a reward-chaser. She's seen too many movies I guess, expected to get me back here and use her feminine wiles to get the better of me. That was her _whole_ plan." he huffed a bitter, sore laugh, voice cracking and scritching, "Seduction to lure, sex to disarm and then, I don't even know what," he hung his head forward again, rubbed his hands over his face, "I don't know because she didn't even know."

 _Catherine_ wheezed out something that sounded like _help_ and Will dropped his hands from his face and looked up blanching when Hannibal crouched down right in front of him so that their faces were just about a foot apart. He hadn't even heard the man move for fucks sake, but Hannibal was so close now, heat radiating from his body, and the familiar and comforting smell brought Will some sensory respite, Hannibal's scent and presence washing over his tense nerves and cold skin soothingly.

Hannibal's eyes were still dark, but there was some emotion now in his gaze and when he said,

"Alana has a very tight network in place." Will let out a shaken breath he hadn't even realized he'd held in, feeling almost like he would tear up now that Hannibal was not glaring at him anymore, "Her reward website employs an instant alert system for wherever a potential informant is in the world, which activates at the click of a button, enabling the significant amount of hired-hands that Alana has on her generous payroll located worldwide to have been here very quickly. With simple GPS, this woman would have had someone here to collect you in a very short amount of time." he said flatly, still angry but not murderously incensed anymore.

"A nondescript site, plain and straightforward, black and white." Hannibal described and then he held up _Catherine's_ cell phone between them, which he must have picked up when he silently ghosted over to Will, the screen lit up to the menu with a screensaver of some city somewhere in the world, "Her GPS was enabled." his tone was clipped, serious, "You had this in your hand when I entered?" and it was a question.

Will shook his head once,

"She didn't make it, I got to her before she could." he reassured Hannibal, feeling new relief over the matter now that he knew how close he'd actually come to being seconds too late to stop her from clicking CONFIRM. Christ, the dumb bitch may actually have gotten him, her stupidity having been so naturally occurring that Will hadn't been able to read her clearly, and it had almost worked to her advantage.

 _Catherine_ said 'help' again, just a little louder and Will glanced at her over Hannibal's shoulder, seeing that she was weakly trying to reach the apartment's telephone on the bedside table. Hannibal didn't take his eye off Will, even as she pulled herself up on to her knees with a pained sob and clawed for the phone noisily with a trembling hand, and he felt irritable that Hannibal felt the need to test him this way, but he understood that he'd messed up something serious and he had to put things right.

So he stood up straight in the tight space between him and Hannibal, using the wall for support, and then quickly and without hesitation he stepped around Hannibal to walk over to _Catherine_ , who had just grabbed the receiver in her quivering manicured hand. He grabbed the relevant boney wrist tight enough to grind her delicate bones together, and it took barely any strength at all before she dropped the receiver with a miserable yelp, followed by another gasped broken plea of _please_ and _no_ and then _oof_ when Will tossed her back to the ground and looked at Hannibal, who had stood up and was watching him hawkishly.

"Do you think it's wise to kill her here?" Will voiced his original concerns of what he should do with her, "This was not planned and it's clear that she's been assaulted, we can't spin this as an accident or a suicide." he cleared his sore throat again, getting annoyed with _Catherine's_ incessant weak sobbing.

Will actually wondered why she hadn't tried to scream yet; had Hannibal hit her in the throat before he'd dragged her out of the bathroom? They'd had a target once who Hannibal had hit in the throat to silence them, just hard enough to fracture the cartilage without collapsing the larynx, so it was possible.

"Certainly not with your DNA all over her face." Hannibal said with no clear inflection but his words were sharp and they stung, _hurt_ actually and Will flinched, pursing his lips as he wiped a hand once over his mouth angrily, pissed off at himself and _Catherine_ for this mess. "And perhaps not just her face." Hannibal added impassively and Will frowned at the insinuation, clenching his jaw, "And perhaps not just saliva."

" **No**." Will hissed harshly, offended, but then took a deep breath and said it again with a strained tone, "No, Hannibal, Jesus." he shook his head in frustration and breathed out through his nose before he met and held Hannibal's dark gaze head on, "That's bullshit and you know it, you'd _smell_ it for fucks sake." he was careful not to raise his voice even though he had to speak louder because of his bruised, aching throat, and he went on when Hannibal narrowed his eyes just so, "She kissed me, yes, and I went with it because I was trying to figure out what the hell she was planning." he glanced down at her where she was partially leaning against the base of the bed, and he ignored her even as she was looking up at him through bleary eyes, pain etched into her face and blood smeared over the bottom half of her face, "The kissing lasted two minutes tops, from the entrance to just about where you're standing now," he gestured as he spoke and then he pointed at the en-suite door, "and then she went into the bathroom and I went in after her to catch her out in what she was doing." he breathed heavily, worried about what Hannibal was making of what he'd just admitted to.

Hannibal's impassivity didn't change, he just glanced down at her and his top lip curled in disgust briefly before he looked at Will again,

"I suppose you just went along with undressing each other as well." his eyes narrowed again,

"Yes, I did go along with it, but I didn't undress her or myself, she started taking my clothes off and she took her own fucking top off too." Will gestured flippantly at her and then hunched up his shoulders to shrug dramatically. Hannibal didn't react to his dismissiveness,

"I imagine it was quite excruciating for you when she bared her breasts, Will. Shall I offer you my sympathy?" Hannibal said flatly and yet the sarcasm was so thick it actually choked Will and made his eye twitch, and _Catherine_ reacted by wheezing out a disbelieving ' _oh my god'_ before earnestly trying to scream for help.

But she couldn't do it, dissolving into broken sobs instead. Her throat was definitely fucked up. She was done for.

Will ignored her and swallowed painfully, breathing deeply, his anxiety at Hannibal's continued displeasure and anger at him mounting very quickly, just as quickly as his temper,

"She took her top off to distract me from her lower half," he snapped raspily, baring his teeth in frustration, "because she obviously had the fucking cell phone in her underwear, which I would have found sooner if I'd had my damn hands in her panties, but I _didn't_ because I had no intention of it and I waited until she'd taken it out on her own!" he gestured to the bathroom again and placed his hands on his hips, cursing softly under his breath as his eyes burned from the need cough. He looked away from Hannibal to glare at the far wall, wishing none of this was happening.

 _Catherine_ was sobbing in earnest now, she'd given up completely. She knew there was no escaping.

"You think my anger is unreasonable." Hannibal said quietly, gloved hands clenched tightly at his sides as he stood posture perfect and didn't once look away from Will, who frowned guiltily because he knew Hannibal was justified, "How would you react if I had done this very thing?"

The very **idea** made Will's blood boil, but he sighed it out without hesitation and shook his head,

"You would never have done his, Hannibal, because you're not _me_ and I'm not _you_." he swallowed another cough when his throat spasmed, meeting Hannibal's steady gaze again, "You don't get blindsided or caught unawares, you're not impulsive and you don't make mistakes. You're meticulous and organized to the point of being fucking magical." he rasped out, seeing the slightest frown form between Hannibal's fine brows, "I mean, Jesus, look at this." he gestured around the room, "I don't even know why you're here, _how_ you knew I was here. But _here_ you are, wearing fucking gloves so you don't leave prints anywhere." he sighed again, miserably, "I was stalling, thinking of a way to deal with her…" he glanced down at the crying woman absently, "…and you came in here and took control of the situation, you probably already have a plan, probably had one formulated a few seconds after you stopped trying to strangle me." he finished and reached up to touch his throat unconsciously when he saw Hannibal's expression flicker with regret and apology for hurting him.

He felt bad as well, for screwing up a really wonderful vacation, or worse, their relationship,

"I have a history of not knowing how to deal with manipulative, beautiful women." he admitted and Hannibal unclenched his hands and averted his gaze with a dignified sniff, because Hannibal _knew_ that; Margot and Chiyoh were examples of that very thing. But there was actually a more positive point to this which occurred to Will just then and he smiled and huffed out a laugh, "And maybe this happening was a good thing for us in a way."

Immediately Hannibal's eyes were back on him and his hands were clenched back into fists with a tight squeak of leather, the atmosphere becoming so dense with threatening tension that even _Catherine_ whimpered like she couldn't believe what Will had just said and to whom.

Will however was not so easily affected by Hannibal's deadly aura and what he had to say wasn't even bad,

"Think about it, Hannibal." he implored gently, facial expression open and honest and loving, "I was in here being kissed and undressed by this woman who, let's face it, is beautiful…" Hannibal actually snorted, like a very regal and dangerous bull, not even deigning to glance at her and Will raised his eyebrows at his reaction and amended, "…or at least she was before you fucked her up." earning himself a subtly cocked eyebrow from the older man and a miserable sob from _Catherine_.

"Your point?" Hannibal asked coldly and Will immediately gestured at _Catherine_ ,

"My point is that I was unaffected, Hannibal. Through all of it, I never once _wanted_ her, I didn't get turned on. Not when we were kissing, not when she took off her top." he calmly stated the facts, "My heart rate was steady from the get go, there was no physical or emotional reaction and my mind was focused only on getting rid of the threat she posed to **us**."

Hannibal seemed to consider this, his fists unclenching again and with darkness now falling outside, the room was shadowy and Hannibal looked physically as sinister as the Wendigo always had in Will's dreams and nightmares; dressed in all black as he was, tall and intimidating and cast in black shadows.

He was completely silent for a strained moment and Will held eye contact steadily, even while having trouble keeping his breathing even as he worried about how this would affect their long term relationship, hoping that it wouldn't at all.

God, he loved Hannibal. He'd known it for so long, but it was like it had only properly occurred to him recently, and now this had to happen!

 _'_ _I mean, it wasn't like I cheated…'_ he thought grimly, but then recalled how furious he'd been years ago when he'd thought Hannibal had slept with that woman from the museum, when they hadn't even officially been together. And it suddenly occurred to him just how fucked the situation he'd put Hannibal in was, making him feel sick with guilt. He blinked rapidly and exhaled a pained breath, forgetting about _Catherine_ for the moment and stepping around her to walk over to Hannibal with urgency in his steps.

He came to stand right in front of Hannibal, their chests nearly touching as he took the older man's stoic and shadowed face in his hands, staring unblinking into Hannibal's eyes as he swallowed sorely and then exhaled tightly,

"I'm sorry, I swear. It doesn't matter why I let it happen, but I know I _shouldn't_ have…" he admitted in his patchy, broken voice, because it was true and the sudden onslaught of guilt he was feeling made his chest tight as he wheezed out, "…I'm sorry, I love you, Hannibal." and it was said sincerely, but also as a bit of a cheat, because Will knew how much hearing him say it affected the older man, but he needed Hannibal to forgive him for this _stupid_ fuck up, because he couldn't bear the idea of ruining or losing what they had.

And Hannibal's exoneration of him came, but only in the form of a long exhale from his nose and the barest incline of his head, and Will was about to say something else, but it seemed that Catherine had finally gotten her second wind because she made a very weak run for it, pushing herself up at a run across the room and stumbling hard into the wall as she tried to get to the bedroom door.

Hannibal's expression went cold again as he cut his gaze to her, and then he turned to go after her and Will let his hands slide from the older man's face with a frustrated sigh, but his stomach was no longer tied up in knots of worry because even though he knew there was still some making up to do on his part, he knew that ultimately Hannibal would let it go. Hannibal always forgave him, whether he deserved it or not.

Predictably, _Catherine_ didn't get far, only making it as far as a few feet into the living room area of the apartment before Hannibal got a hold of her, and she was still trying and failing to scream, which was really something, after all, Will's throat was hurting and he hadn't had any serious internal damage done. He watched as Hannibal came back into the bedroom –tapping the light switch on as he passed-, dragging a stumbling, wheezing _Catherine_ into the bedroom by her hair again; a very personal way of doing things where usually he wouldn't mishandle any victim in such a demeaning manner. Victims were pigs to him, and there was no sense in trying to demean a pig.

But _Catherine_ was getting a different side of Hannibal; not the calm cannibal looking to harvest meat, but the severely pissed off man looking to vent his murderous rage.

He tossed her toward the bed, where she landed with a bounce and then slid off the edge right back onto the floor, sobbing louder but ultimately it came out almost silent the more she strained her voice. She was trembling anew, Will noticing a trail of liquid on the floor and that her pant legs were wet along the inner seam, which meant she'd lost control of her bladder.

That happened with a lot of their victims and Will just sighed,

"Let's deal with her first, we can talk later?" it was said with hopefulness, but Hannibal surprisingly responded,

"I will deal with her. You go back to the apartment." no inflection in his tone again, and there was no way Will could have missed the lack of politeness in the Doctor's words towards him, what he'd just said coming across quite like an order, but considering everything that had happened, Will didn't even have it in him to get mad about it. He also wasn't surprised when Hannibal reached into his long coat inner pocket and brought out two clear medicinal phials, because Hannibal was _never_ unprepared for a bad situation…unlike Will.

Hell, he probably had his fucking scalpel on him somewhere too.

The Doctor glanced at the labels on the phials to choose the one he wanted, all the while not looking at Will, who stepped closer to where Hannibal was standing intimidatingly over _Catherine_ 's weeping form.

"No, Hannibal, I'm staying to-…"

"I did not intend to be gone long from the apartment," he was abrupt again, his stringent manners gone in the face of his still present now simmering anger, "Francesca is unintended." and that was it, all he was apparently interested in saying, Will realized that after a further minute passed with Hannibal ignoring him.

He just swallowed his frustration and shook his head. He still didn't even know why Hannibal had been out of the apartment in the first place, but as he watched Hannibal repocket the phial he wasn't going to use and reach into his outer coat pocket for something else, it occurred to Will that it might be best if he left Hannibal alone right then.

Perhaps Hannibal needed some personal space right then, just as he sometimes needed and was always granted.

He made his decision then to leave, blinking languidly as he watched Hannibal extract a packaged syringe and hypodermic needle, deftly opening each item before attaching the needle to the syringe and piercing the phial to gather the liquid. And literally just before Will could walk away, Hannibal said,

"Tell me the places where you might have left your fingerprints." still not looking at Will as he grabbed _Catherine_ by her arm to pull her more upright before he grabbed another tight handful of her hair, eliciting a sobbed groan as he leaned over.

Will took in the sight of Hannibal then as the man angled her head as he wanted it, firmly holding it pulled back and to the left side so that her neck was exposed and stretched when he stated 'be still' in a tone that commanded for her to listen; she did, whether from fear or shock at hearing the pure threatening venom in Hannibal's voice.

Will spoke on autopilot as he watched Hannibal,

"Just the bathroom door handle, her cell phone and her face where I covered her mouth while I choked her out." his voice a quiet croak.

Hannibal didn't say anything, focused on what he was doing as he leaned close enough over Catherine in order to make sure he could see her internal carotid artery thrumming just below her skin, where he inserted the needle with deft skill at an upward angle – as he'd taught Will to do; follow the blood flow so as not to have the blood flow force the syringe back out- and he pressed down on the plunger to push the drug directly into her bloodstream, heading straight to her brain.

She still bled some, Will had learned that it generally happened when injecting a main artery of a person whose blood was flowing at a normal, and especially in _Catherine_ 's case, a heightened pace. Hannibal stood up straight again, setting the needle down on the side table before he reached into his other coat pocket and took out a cell phone; Will's cell phone.

"Use a cab to return to the apartment," Will hesitated, wanting to argue, but then he gave in and reached out to take the cellphone, his fingertips brushing Hannibal's leather covered ones as he handed it over, "I will return to the apartment when I am done here." the older man added before focusing back on _Catherine_ , who was doing little more than twitching her fingertips, no longer groaning or sobbing as the drug took effect.

 _'_ _A sedative.'_ Will realized, knowing how quickly it took effect when properly administered to a main artery.

He looked from _Catherine's_ almost unconscious form to Hannibal, who was shrugging out of his coat, preparing for whatever he was going to do to her; however he was going to handle the situation. Will glanced at his cell phone in his hand and then back to Hannibal,

"You're sure?"

Hannibal brought his coat around to fold it neatly,

"Quite." was his abrupt response, and Will just huffed irritably as he turned to leave just as abruptly, but not even taking a step before Hannibal added, "Don't forget to redress on your way to the door, just follow the trail of your clothing." his tone not quite flat enough to cover up the bitterness.

And again, his words hurt Will, pain catching in his chest and the little bit of irritability he'd been feeling being crushed to nothing under the weight of his guilt. He finally left then, pocketing his cell phone and then doing as Hannibal had said and picking up his clothing with clipped movements as he went along. His belt, his sweater...he swallowed sorely when he reached the front door, where he stopped to put on his belt and sweater before picking his coat up and shrugging it on as well.

He sniffed, softly, the emotional build up beginning to get to him as he buttoned up his coat, blinking his burning eyes as he picked up his umbrella from where he'd left it dripping on the floor just inside and beside the door. He felt so fucking miserable as he opened the apartment door slightly, listening for sounds of anyone outside in the passageway. He only stepped out once he was sure no one was coming or going and he was careful to use his stretchy sweater sleeve over his hand to open and close the door quietly, and standing outside the apartment in the bright artificial lights, Will swallowed a sigh before he walked away, quietly and quickly making his way to the apartment exit.

It was still raining quite heavily, something Will had failed to take notice of earlier when he was inside. He opened the umbrella once he stepped out, ducking his head into the upturned collar of his coat, and as he walked away down the street in the heavy rain he cast a glance around for the Volvo parked nearby, but amongst the cars he could see, the Volvo was not there.

Will went on to walk for about ten minutes, passing two buildings and rounding two corners before he came to stop under the awning of another apartment building where he took out his cell phone to call a cab. There were very few people around as he called and then waited, and everyone who was in the street looked like blurry rushes of shapes.

Over all, in terms of possible witnesses, it was not a bad day to kill and dispose of a body.

* * *

Will was sitting on the largest sofa in the apartment living room with Francesca beside him. She was not asleep because she could sense that he was unsettled, so she was unsettled too.

He had been back at the apartment for _hours_ ; he'd seen to Francesca and to himself. The first thing he'd done though was brush his teeth, and he'd rinsed his mouth out with mouthwash too for good measure before he'd taken a long hot shower, which hadn't helped to relax him. Afterwards he'd eaten the dinner that Hannibal had made and he'd fed Francesca as well. He'd had to force himself to clean his plate though, because he'd been feeling nauseous and tense and on edge.

And then he'd tried to watch TV, tried to read, tried to play with Francesca, but he was too stressed and presently he was just sitting on the sofa and staring at the door in between rubbing his eyes and fidgeting with the fabric folds of his jeans where one leg was bent and tucked up underneath him. It was already after 12 AM and Hannibal was still not back, and Will knew, he understood that the best time for Hannibal to dispose of the body, to even leave the apartment with it, was in the dead of night or the early hours, but he was _still_ worried.

And of on top of everything else, it was still raining, which would make everything harder to manage.

 _'_ _I should have stayed…'_ he thought for the millionth time as he checked his cell phone for the time, seeing it was now moving toward 1AM before placing the phone back on the wide armrest. When he sighed loudly and carded his hands back through his hair Francesca whined, sensing his distress, and Will was just about to get up to pour himself some whiskey when the door _finally_ opened.

He stood up immediately, Francesca jumping up too and off the couch to go straight over to Hannibal as Will watched Hannibal enter the apartment, closing the door behind himself before turning to look around the living room, the older man's eyes settling on him briefly and then averting down to Francesca who was wagging her tail happily and with increasing enthusiasm when Hannibal spared her a few pets. Will noticed that Hannibal looked as put together as he ever did after committing murder, despite his hair being damp from the rain and slicked back, his skin looking sheened with light moisture too, he didn't look much worse for wear.

Even the rain and some spontaneous murder couldn't ruffle his appearance.

Will could assume though that his clothes were probably damp since his hair and skin were, and he could also assume that Hannibal was probably tired, not necessarily from the physical exertion of the day, but from the emotional perspective, since Will certainly was. He waited until after Hannibal had set his personal effects down –the car keys amongst them- on the entryway table before he asked,

"Are you okay?" his voice still a raw rasp, bruises now visible around his throat. And maybe it was stupid to ask, but his heart was thumping loudly again, his chest sore with his anxiousness which hadn't dissipated at all even with the Doctor's return.

Hannibal was pulling off his black coat when he met Will's eyes across the room, shrugging the heavy damp item of clothing off one arm and then tugging it neatly off the other before he answered with a simple,

"Yes." looking away again, folding his coat over his arm as he ran his free hand back over the surface of his rain slick hair, "Everything is taken care of, there is no need to be concerned." he added, as if that had been what Will was asking about, "I am going to take a shower." Hannibal informed, already walking away down the hall of the apartment toward the bedroom and bathroom.

Another tug of pain was felt in his chest as he watched Hannibal walk away and he swallowed painfully, dropping his eyes to Francesca, who seemed torn between following her one upset human or staying with her other upset human; in the end she whined again and ultimately stayed with Will because he was more noticeably upset, trotting over and pushing her muzzle into one his hands hanging limply by his side.

Will offered her a quick, distracted ear scratch before folding his arms tightly across his chest and glancing at the hallway Hannibal had disappeared down before he clenched his eyes shut and pursed his lips tightly so they turned white, trying to organize his thoughts and steeling himself to practice Hannibal's level of patience; he had to let the older man have his space.

Keeping that in mind, Will padded on dark socked feet through the living area to the partially open plan kitchen of the apartment, Francesca following along for moral support, where he washed his hands and set about making Hannibal a steaming hot cup of coffee, just the way he'd like it, and cutting him a slice of the cherry clafoutis he'd prepared for dessert that evening.

He leaned against the counter while he waited to hear the shower stop running, and only then did he plate the dessert, pouring the coffee into a cup while he was warming it up. After the clafoutis was warmed up he dusted icing sugar over it and set a dessert fork beside it, taking a deep breath as he picked up the cup and side plate and walked back to the living room area where the small four person dining table was. As he set the plate and cup down he mentally prepared himself for Hannibal to just say 'thank you', as manners dictated he do, before just remaining silent while he ate. But Will really hoped that wouldn't be the case.

He turned away from the dining table just when Hannibal entered the room, the older man stopping when he spotted him, dark eyes settling, unreadable, on Will's form. Hannibal was still warm from the shower and so not as pale as he'd been when he'd walked in from the cold earlier, his hair still brushed back neatly because it was damp from the shower and he was wearing dark blue lounge pants and a gray V-neck cotton sleep shirt that clung to his upper body in a way Will rarely saw the older man's clothes do, since Hannibal almost never wore such simple things as T-shirts. He was also wearing his black leather lounge slippers and his soles tapped lightly on the floor when he began to approach, Will standing up straight and blinking a few times as he swallowed down the twenty things he wanted to say in apology.

Overusing apologies was never something they'd done because it cheapened the meaning and sincerity.

When Hannibal came to stand right in front of him, very little space between them and the warmth and clean scent of his body and skin filling Will's senses and making his stomach feel immediately lighter for the comfort of it, he couldn't help the sad frown that came over his face as he shook his head lightly and breathed out Hannibal's name quietly and with obvious regret colouring his tone.

He looked up when he felt Hannibal's soft sigh ghost over his skin and he saw it then, reflected in Hannibal's dark eyes and the stress lines at the corner of his eyes, that the older man was regretful too. Will's next breath huffed out of him and his eyes fluttered open and shut when Hannibal's hands came up to gently hold either side of his neck, the Doctor's thumbs gently tracing the bruise marks his fingers had left behind before Hannibal leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead.

It was then that forgiveness was truly given, and it was then that Will clenched his eyes shut, feeling tears prickling earnestly, hot and wet behind, his lids. It was then that he pressed his forehead against Hannibal's puckered lips and let out a long sigh of relief as he brought his hands up to Hannibal's waist and clenched his fingers into the material of the older man's T-shirt.

"I am truly regretful of my actions today, Will," Hannibal spoke against his forehead and swallowed audibly as his thumbs continued to lightly stroke Will's neck, "I should never have…" he swallowed again, his voice laced with emotion and his accent thicker for it, "…I swore to never intentionally hurt you again and I have done just that." Hannibal drew back suddenly, the older man's hands sliding up to cup his jaw and tip his head back and Will immediately opened his damp eyes to meet Hannibal's shining gaze, "Can you forgive me?"

Will laughed softly, breathy and incredulous, before he swallowed around a lump in his swollen throat and rasped out,

"Are you kidding? I'm surprised you didn't do worse." he admitted honestly, and then realized that it sounded like he'd expected Hannibal to hurt him when he saw the older man frown and his lips become pinched. So he amended it by confessing, "I would have done worse in your situation, Hannibal, all promises aside. I can only _imagine_ ," and quite vividly at that, "what must have been going through your head when you walked into that apartment." he wet his lips, frowning deeper when Hannibal dropped his gaze, still frowning slightly, apparently unconvinced that Will didn't expect the worst from him.

Will arched an eyebrow and leaned in to speak against Hannibal's cheek,

"Seriously Hannibal," he smiled against the fine layer of unshaven scruff on the man's face, "that night all those years ago when I thought you'd slept with that woman from the museum," Will snorted softly and ducked his head under Hannibal's jaw to press his face there as he confessed, "I had one of your scalpels on hand when I confronted you, which I was fully intending to use to stab you with if you'd said the wrong thing to me." he chuckled when he remembered it now.

Hannibal, entirely too pleased at hearing such an ominous thing, chuckled too, a deep and slightly breathy sound that was heard and felt almost right against Will's ear, making his stomach feel even lighter as the tension lifted due to his confession.

"I had no idea." Hannibal said with wistful adoration in his tone, and then Will felt the Doctor's hand slide up into his hair, "Where would you have stabbed me?" he asked huskily and amused, typical Hannibal really, enjoying knowing how dangerous Will could be when provoked. Will felt the older man's hands move back down to rest on his lower back in a slow but firm caress and Will continued to smile, equally adoring, leaning his body against Hannibal's,

"I hadn't really thought it through to be honest, I was tired and I felt like absolute shit thinking…" he trailed off now, clenching his jaw as his smile faded and he turned to press his face against the side of Hannibal's neck with a tense exhale, "Christ, I was so angry that night, and you hadn't even done anything." another shaken breath, "Hannibal, I'm so sorry, what I did tonight was-…"

"Necessary." Hannibal cut him off, warm hands moving back up to cup his face and lift his head so they were looking at each other, so close they shared every warm breath. Will frowned sadly and skeptically, Hannibal looking at him with open understanding that Will felt he didn't deserve, "While it is true that some of the details of _how_ you went about it could have been different, overall, it was absolutely necessary." Hannibal said, completely serious now. "Had you not accepted her offer and just returned to the apartment to inform me so we could leave, the likelihood that we would have been found is extremely high." his hands slid down again, an easy, natural sort of caress down the length of Will's back.

"Is Alana's organization that efficient?" he had to ask, because he hadn't even known she had a bounty out on their heads. Hannibal nodded,

"I had Chiyoh test it some time ago, when she had been in Australia. She used one of her contacts to use the website to report our location there and she said that within ten minutes two vehicles with discreetly armed men arrived." Will raised his eyebrows at hearing that, "And I'm told that they didn't leave without searching the surrounding area thoroughly."

So maybe _Catherine_ hadn't thought she'd need to sleep with a killer, not if they would have been there that quickly.

"Shit." he breathed out, both eyebrows rising, thinking, _'That was fucking close.'_

"Indeed." Hannibal concurred with Will's verbal and mental response and Will smiled abruptly before he laughed softly, Hannibal smiling too as they leaned closer together, foreheads touching and breaths still mingling.

"How did I not know about this website?" he frowned and pulled back a bit to look at Hannibal again, and the older man was still smiling softly as he raised his eyes just so to look fondly at the curls and waves of hair on Will's forehead,

"I keep track of these things so as to protect the sanctity of our lives here in Sweden, I am aware at all times," he said quietly, "I know you love living in this country, in Skellefteå, so I endeavor to keep us hidden for as long as it is within in my power to do so." Hannibal admitted, soft and honest, his hands continually caressing.

Will's throat was tight again, the soreness aside, Hannibal's words made him both angry and endlessly happy,

"Why don't you tell me, Hannibal, so I can help you keep track." he swallowed thickly, knuckles white where Hannibal's T-shirt was still in his grasp and Hannibal's response nearly winded him,

"Because I only ever want to see you happy, Will."

It was poignant, the gravity of Hannibal's words mixing with everything that had happened in the last few weeks and just hours earlier, making Will feel just as happy as he did guilty about all of the stupid selfish things he'd been doing, while Hannibal seemed to have spent every single day since the fall doing nothing but striving to make him happy.

"I don't think I really deserve all that." he croaked out, eyes lowering to half-mast as he looked at Hannibal's mouth, a mouth that was amazing in _everything_ Hannibal said and did with it, whether it was tearing someone's throat out, cannibalizing, bringing him to orgasm or making sweet love-laced confessions like he just had, and continued to do even as Will came apart a little more with every word,

"You deserve even more than I can give you, Will." and he said it like there was never any other truth. Will pursed his lips, feeling warm and elated with affection and desire and the feeling of belonging, "You changed me," Hannibal went on unexpectedly, voice so quiet and yet urgent somehow, "you helped me be able to love, and through you I learned to forgive, and also, how to truly live." and Will parted his lips to say something, anything, but then Hannibal continued, " _Before_ you, Will…" Hannibal's breath was deep and warm and unsteady as the older man breathed against his lips, his voice turning brittle with painful honesty, "…I was just **cold** …like the worst winter of my childhood." he practically whispered.

Will's eyes teared up quickly then when he thought of two small orphans, lost and hungry and helpless; Will had only learned the full story of Mischa after the fall and he knew what she'd meant to Hannibal.

With newly damp eyes, Will brought a hand up to touch the side of Hannibal's face as he looked into the eyes of Hannibal Lecter, the **man** inside the monster. And there was nothing he could say, nothing more that words could manage to convey how he felt or how Hannibal felt. Yes, they loved one another, but something about how they felt and what they were together was entirely other and they both knew it.

So, Will didn't attempt to ineloquently respond with useless words, choosing instead to slide his hand into the back of Hannibal's hair to draw the older man into a kiss that felt seamless and absolutely irrevocable.

* * *

Everything that came thereafter was born of immeasurable desire and intense pleasure.

The rain continued to fall heavily outside as they found their way to the bedroom, unhurried in their progression, and they fell into bed together with sensual but desperate touches and kisses anywhere and everywhere on one another's bodies, upsetting the neatly made bed as they rolled and stretched and reached and pulled and pushed to undress each other until they were both naked and every caress was just heated skin on skin.

But it was different than usual, how intensely they came together. They kissed more and more, sighs and smiles and damp eyes and clinging lips, and they touched slower and with more time spent to memorize contours and curves and muscle and sensitive spots with hands and lips.

There was no hesitation and no questions this time.

Will didn't think about anything beyond Hannibal as they found their way under the messed up covers, the pillows strewn and skew against the headboard, clothing tossed all over. He didn't need urging or guidance to lay back and welcome Hannibal between his legs, and they barely stopped kissing all the while, even when Hannibal retrieved the lube from the bedside stand where it'd been left two nights ago. Will didn't even think twice about the decision he made to stop Hannibal from leaving the bed to get a condom, because he didn't care beyond having Hannibal as close as he could get, he didn't care beyond not separating in that moment.

And they didn't separate, not for a second, barely pausing to pant and moan between kisses as Hannibal opened him up around careful fingers while Will's hands explored, caressed and grasped familiar and new places on Hannibal's body, some he'd never touched before, some he'd only skimmed in the past.

The moment when Hannibal slid into him had been eagerly anticipated and they both moaned into one another's mouths as it happened, hands clenching in hair, on thighs and in the rumpled sheets as Hannibal slipped into him slow and steady and bare; not even a latex barrier keeping them apart. And there was no pause for adjustment, because Hannibal was going slowly, and it became hot under the covers very quickly as they started to move more and more, rocking together in a sensual rhythm that they found easily, nothing hard or rushed, just the same kind of synchronicity that they'd always shared outside of their sexual relationship, now discovered within it; Will using his legs braced against Hannibal's flanks and his fingers clutching at Hannibal shoulder and buttock to move himself in time with Hannibal's close and languidly rolling thrusts as much as he could.

It was a slow and intense build as they fucked, if it could even be called fucking, because it felt like **so** much more…

Drawn out in the best possible way, Will's moans were barely more than strained, raspy gasps, but they were very frequent, as frequent as Hannibal stifling his own moans by occupying his mouth with adding suck-bruises to Will's already marred throat between husky grunts and heavy breathing.

And it only intensified further as they undulated together, Will letting his legs fall open wider, leaving Hannibal unimpeded when the older man began to gain a more determined momentum, the changes in tempo and ardour in Hannibal's thrusts audible between their connected bodies as Will laid back and enjoyed it, digging his nails into slippery muscle and skin and arching into it as Hannibal pumped into him more vigorously with long and deep thrusts. They became so tangled up in the bed covers; legs, arms, hands, hair, tongues, fingers. They were a vibrant, animated picture of passion; bent, stretched, angled, grasping limbs, blush stained extremities and sweat slick skin, two bodies blurred and defined at the same time.

No, Will didn't think about a single thing besides Hannibal with him, inside him, a part of him, and it was _perfect_ in the way that only the most naturally occurring moments of breathtaking connections in life ever are.

The kind of moment that could not last forever but is nothing other than pure bliss in the moment, and will never be forgotten.

And by the time Will reached orgasm, what seemed like hours later, he'd barely been breathing at all; completely lost to a haze of euphoria, his lungs and chest aching with the kind of sweet, needed pain that occurred only when being in **love**.

* * *

_'_ _This was make up sex.'_ Will thought with a lazy, toothy smile as he and Hannibal lay facing each other in the bed of the Stockholm apartment, legs overlapping and faces and chests close, lightly holding each other, their bodies having cooled down in the twenty minutes since their heated coupling ended, _'We just had honest-to-god make up sex.'_ he almost couldn't believe that.

It had been incredibly worth it though, apparently not all the hype Will had heard about over the years of how make up sex was different from regular sex was a lie. Something about it _was_ different. It brought something out in a person that wasn't necessarily always present.

If Will had to guess, he'd assume it had a lot to do with the brain's chemical reaction to knowing everything was okay between you and the person you loved, that things were alright and that you hadn't _lost_ someone you loved over a stupid fight or mistake. That's probably what it was…or at least that's what it'd felt like to him. Everything had felt as amazing as usual, except with just a little _extra_ something added to it. He couldn't even pinpoint it, really.

Maybe it was just because he'd felt so different this time, he still felt different right then, even after everything was over, a good different; relaxed, calm, satisfied, accepted and accepting and happy. Not even the wetness of Hannibal's ejaculate between his ass cheeks and thighs registered as more than just a distant discomfort that could be wiped or washed away. And he felt no shame over the fact that Hannibal had come inside him, unlike the first time, when he'd felt grossed out and embarrassed by it, now he felt like it was alright, like it was something he could be okay with.

After all, semen could be washed away, but the intimacy of being together completely without barriers held an appeal to Will now that it hadn't that first time. He thought he might actually prefer it this way, at least some of the time if not always. And Hannibal had enjoyed it too, Will had seen his face when he came, just as blissed out as Will had been, and yeah, he'd noticed that Hannibal had taken a little longer than usual to pull out too.

Will was still smiling, affectionately amused, and Hannibal was smiling now too.

He was leaning up on one elbow whereas Will was lying down and Hannibal's hand slowly lowered from where he had been playing with Will's sweat damp hair with a look of soft adoration on his face -a look that made Will feel giddy and silly at the same time for how much Hannibal seemed to love his hair- to trace his smile lines with a fingertip,

"It never fails to please me when I see you smile." Hannibal said quietly, his own damp hair still a bit of an artful mess from Will's grasping and pulling hands earlier. Will smiled wider, looking up at Hannibal with raised eyebrows,

"Your fault I'm smiling." he barely managed to say, more just mouthing as his voice was almost completely gone due to all the strain his throat had taken in the last twelve or so hours, everything from being briefly strangled to explaining stressful things to moaning out expletives and incoherent noises.

His throat was fucking aching.

"No fault in that." Hannibal countered, moving his hand now to tenderly touch a rather vivid suck-bruise that he'd left at the base of Will's throat at some point, "In fact, it only pleases me more to know it's my doing." he smiled wider now, too, showing his teeth in a roguish grin, which he leaned down to press against Will's own smile so they could share a brief but deep kiss before the older man drew back and looked down at him again, tracking his auburn gaze over Will's face.

Will did likewise, half-lidded eyes cataloguing Hannibal's features lovingly, and with the hand that wasn't under the pillow beneath his head, he reached up to slide it, flat and spread, from Hannibal's sternum upwards to his collar bone and back down again, no longer feeling tentative about touching the thicket of hair on Hannibal's firm chest like he'd so often thought about doing, not after all the new places his hands had just been earlier.

And Hannibal loved it when he touched, his pupils darkening again and his hand sliding up to cradle the back of Will's head as the older man leaned down for another kiss, which Will parted his lips for and melted into, his own hand sliding up further to keep Hannibal's soft hair in its attractive state of disarray with more tousling. Hannibal, who seemed a bit more insatiable and bolder than usual –which was perhaps another side effect of make up sex- closed the scarce gap between their bodies and moved to lay atop Will again, his slightly firm cock nestling in the crease of Will's thigh, still tacky from the earlier application of lube, and likely to be hard again fairly soon. Probably after a bout of intense foreplay like they usually had...

And while Will felt his own cock stirring in reaction to Hannibal's tangible arousal and his own equally flaring desire, what he wanted and what he thought he could physically handle were two different things, and he didn't think he could comfortably take being penetrated a second time so soon, tempted though he was to be impulsive _again_ and throw caution to the wind. But there was no need to rush, it was the twilight hours presently, and they were only leaving in the late afternoon and now that Will had no qualms about sex more than one time a day, he was pretty certain they could find time to fit it in before they left Stockholm.

 _'_ _Like a quickie.'_ he thought with no small amount of amusement, smiling into their ongoing kiss, the languid slide and slant, press and lick and suck of Hannibal's mouth against his own. If Hannibal noticed him smiling all over again, he didn't want to pause in their amorous making out to acknowledge it, instead he kissed Will for another long, breath hindering moment before moving on to tenderly –in contrast to how they'd just been kissing- mouth over the strangle bruises on Will's neck.

Will scraped his teeth over his kiss-swollen bottom lip as he felt arousal coil low in his pelvis, his own refractory period impressing the hell out of him, and as Hannibal kissed and lavished his neck and shoulder with kisses while the older man slid his hand out of Will's hair to find his own, interlocking their fingers tightly for no possible reason other than just _wanting_ to, it had Will moaning soundlessly and thinking that _maybe_ a second round wasn't the worst idea.

But Hannibal always seemed to know his limits, and instead of escalating –and despite both of their cocks gradually filling out- Hannibal brought his kisses back up to sweetly kiss Will's lips a few times, clinging and breathy lip locks, before Hannibal raised their interlocked hands to kiss his knuckles just as he opened his eyes and met Hannibal's still dark, but totally cognizant, gaze.

"We should sleep, or the drive back will seem much longer than it actually is." he advised, pressing another kiss to Will's knuckles. And Will, feeling a little dizzy with good feelings on top of the fact that his voice was so buggered, just smiled and nodded, leaning up –and Hannibal accommodatingly leaning down- for one more kiss before they switched off the lights and settled in beside one another to sleep.

* * *

It was during the drive back to Skellefteå, a few hours in and still Hannibal's shift behind the wheel, that Will was looking at the pictures on his phone that he'd taken while being in Stockholm, eventually coming across the one he'd taken of Hannibal and himself and had texted to the man. Seeing it made him smile and he exited that picture folder to go into the folder where the edited heart framed version Hannibal had sent him was saved in, smiling even wider. He glanced at Hannibal, who was smiling too as he kept his eyes on the road ahead, and Will knew the older man must have seen what he was looking at, so he knew why Will was smiling.

Will just kept smiling, he felt really happy and at peace in a whole new way, and he couldn't help feeling pleased with how their vacation in Stockholm had turned out, even despite _Catherine_ complicating things. He closed the folders he was looking at and absently locked his phone, letting it fall in to his lap where it slid between his parted thighs, distracted by thoughts of how even the wedding, which he'd initially been dreading attending, had been enjoyable.

For the next half an hour of the drive, Will let his mind drift from thought to thought about their time in Stockholm, the new good memories made there, as well as thinking about Skellefteå and even about their previous lives, things of the past forgiven, and more importantly, the vast possibilities and experiences they'd share in the future they were going to have together.

He was presently thinking through vague and varied flashes of his marriage to Molly, not about Molly herself, but specifically about the concept of marriage, when his thoughts were interrupted by Hannibal slowing the car down and then turning off the road to stop along the side. It was the same place they'd decided to swap driving shifts the last time, but unlike last time when Will had been driving first and Hannibal hadn't hesitated to take over when the time came to swap, this time Hannibal had been driving first, and Will wasn't even surprised when he said,

"If you'd prefer, I don't mind driving the rest of the way home." because of course he would offer, wanting to spare Will any extra work or duty. Will didn't roll his eyes though, as much as he wanted to, because Hannibal was kind of a sweetheart in that way and it was a side of him that Will had come to love as much as every other side.

"No, thanks. It's fine, I'll drive." his voice was still very faint, raspy, scratchy and failing to be audible at certain points, but his words came across surely. And even though Hannibal looked like he wanted to double check, the older man just nodded after a moment.

They both unbuckled their seatbelts then and moved to get out, Will grabbing Francesca's retractable leash from the cubby first before he followed and he immediately opened the back passenger door, clipping the leash to her collar before moving out of the way so she could get out of the car. He shut the doors afterward, Hannibal having done so already on his side before coming around to stand on the other side with Will, and they leaned against the side of the car as Will let the leash run so that Francesca could trail into the medium length glass at the roadside, sniffing and exploring and hopefully taking a bathroom break.

The view was just countryside and a few mountains, but it was beautiful and fresh and familiar.

They didn't speak as they stood together, comfortable with the silence, and Will's thoughts drifted back to the concept of marriage as he enjoyed the fresh, cool after-rainfall air and scent of the beautiful countryside. He thought of what it had meant to him to get married, or rather, how little it had meant to him in the end. Marriage vows and everything that went with it really didn't hold much weight, because as much as Will had wanted his marriage to Molly to have meant everything he claimed it had, the truth was, he'd been lying to himself as well as to her.

Marriage wasn't true commitment in his eyes, it was simply an optional attachment. To him, it was the strength of the relationship that made it valid and real, the dynamic of two people fitting together, the connection, the reality of what binds, the good and the bad and the in between. It wasn't about pointless breakable vows which may just be empty, pretty words, and it wasn't about expensive rings that could be lost and replaced as easily as a lover, for most people. Also, Marriage was usually something that most people felt had to happen, the next big logical step in a long term relationship, it usually became expected, almost like an obligation that could make or break whether two people stayed together.

Wasn't that why he'd felt pressured to ask Molly to marry him? Because Walter had needed a stable home, and a stable father figure, a good example to follow. And Molly had needed a reliable, 'committed' man, and marriage represented stability and commitment to most people in relationships. It was ridiculous. Such a farce. Or at least it had been for him. Getting married had been a mistake, he knew that now. But then, while Will didn't want to get married ever again, he did know with absolute certainty and clarity and contentment, that Hannibal was **it** for him.

There was no one else, there never would be, never should have been. So, maybe…a compromise was due?

He glanced at Hannibal leaning beside him, watching the slightly cloudy gray-blue sky overhead, before he looked down to find the older man's hand where it was relaxed at his side, the car keys loosely dangling from his fingers. Will slipped his hand into Hannibal's despite the keys, the older man lowering his head to look at Will softly as he adjusted his hold accommodatingly, smiling at Will as their hands fitted together. Hannibal squeezed his hand lightly then, brushing his thumb over Will's knuckles before looking over to Francesca frolicking in the grass, seemingly content to resume the silence between them.

But Will wanted to say what was on his mind, and there was no better way than to just say it frankly,

"You know, we're technically common law married, right?" he said apropos of nothing, and certain sounds fell away in his scratchy voice, but Hannibal had looked at him when he started speaking and was able to make out everything he'd said, "That's a thing in Sweden, isn't it?" he asked, feeling Hannibal's hand tighten unconsciously in his own. The older man appeared to take a silent deep breath before his eyebrows raised in curious questioning, a shine of endearing hopefulness in his gaze,

"Yes, I believe they are called _Sambo_ couples." he wet his lips before they curved into a small smile, "If a couple has been cohabitating for a long enough period of time and meet the requirements of Sweden's laws for _Sambo_ , they can apply to be officially registered as common law married." he informed, sounding suspiciously as if he'd looked it up at some point.

He probably had mind you, and realizing that made Will feel even better about his suggestion, which made him smile wider as he looked at Hannibal and said,

"So, how about we do that?" because they could never be legally married anyway with their real names, and Will didn't want to be legally married again. He pursed his lips as Hannibal blinked slowly at him, beginning to feel too warm in the black wool turtleneck he was wearing as he felt himself begin to blush, as per usual. But he maintained eye contact and watched as the hopefulness in Hannibal's gaze took on a familiar sort of reverence, the older man regarding him intently before finally speaking,

"Are you serious, Will? Is it truly something that you want?" Hannibal asked two serious questions one after the other, likely needing to confirm for himself that it was what Will actually wanted and that he wasn't just choosing to do it frivolously. Will knew that to Hannibal it was very important that everything was done on both their terms and with genuine sincerity, or it would not be done at all.

And the answer was **yes** , Will absolutely wanted it, no second thoughts or doubts existing on the matter. So he let his feelings reflect in his gaze as he nodded at Hannibal, his expression honest and open when he grinned at the older man. He watched then as Hannibal's face actually lit up when the taller man smiled broadly at him, making Will feel lightheaded at the rare sight, gravity feeling as though it had abandoned his stomach.

He was aware now more than ever before that what he felt whenever Hannibal smiled at him like that was a result of making the person he loved happy, and it was truly something, his brain releasing all the best good-feeling hormones all at once and making him blush even harder. But he didn't mind his reaction to it, because he knew he had the same effect on Hannibal; they were equals, they were irrevocably connected, they were simply, stupidly in love, and with that in mind, Will decided on something else, because he knew Hannibal would appreciate the aesthetic of it,

"I also, uh, I wouldn't mind wearing rings." he managed to rasp out every single word that time, arching a single eyebrow while still smiling brightly at a very elated Hannibal Lecter.

It was definitely the best suggestion he could have made, because Hannibal's pure happiness flooded Will's empathy immediately, making his head spin for how intoxicating it was, making him damn-well giggle, albeit soundlessly, as Hannibal moved to crowd him against the car. And honestly, he wasn't even mad about the two cars that drove by them on the roadside while Hannibal was kissing him breathless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Translation Typed-out](https://s5.postimg.cc/xpxjjfyfr/FF2_Chapter_7_Translations.jpg/)  
>  I hope the scene in the bathtub was worth the wait xD  
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Me on [Tumblr](http://phenobarbitalfiction.tumblr.com/)  
> 


End file.
